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   TZUTC: -0700   
   CHRS: LATIN-1 2   
                           Astronomy Picture of the Day   
      
       Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our   
         fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation   
                       written by a professional astronomer.   
      
                                   2025 July 17   
      
                                     3I/ATLAS   
        Image Credit: Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/K. Meech (IfA/U.   
                                      Hawaii)   
                Processing: Jen Miller, Mahdi Zamani (NSF/NOIRLab)   
      
      Explanation: Discovered on July 1 with the NASA-funded ATLAS (Asteroid   
      Terrestrial-impact Last Alert, System) survey telescope in Rio Hurtado,   
      Chile, 3I/ATLAS is so designated as the third known interstellar object   
      to pass through our Solar System It follows 1I/+.Oumuamua in 2017 and   
      the comet 2I/Borisov in 2019. Also known as C/2025 N1, 3I/ATLAS is   
      clearly a comet, its diffuse cometary coma, a cloud of gas and dust   
      surrounding an icy nucleus, is easily seen in these images from the   
      large Gemini North telescope on Maunakea, HawaiCÇÿi. The left panel   
      tracks the comet as it moves across the sky against fixed background   
      stars in successive exposures. Three different filters were used, shown   
      in red, green, and blue. In the right panel the multiple exposures are   
      registered and combined to form a single image of the comet. The   
      comet's interstellar origin is also clear from its orbit, determined to   
      be an eccentric, highly hyperbolic orbit that does not loop back around   
      the Sun and will return 3I/ATLAS to interstellar space. Not a threat to   
      planet Earth, the inbound interstellar interloper is now within the   
      Jupiter's orbital distance of the Sun, while its closest approach to   
      the Sun will bring it just within the orbital distance of Mars.   
      
                        Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space   
        __________________________________________________________________   
      
          Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)   
               NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.   
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                         A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,   
                              NASA Science Activation   
                                & Michigan Tech. U.   
      
   --- BBBS/Li6 v4.10 Toy-7   
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