China’s Tianwen 1 Mars orbiter captures rare images of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS during its close approach
China’s Tianwen 1 spacecraft has captured new images of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) released the pictures this week, noting that these were taken between October 1 and October 4.
The new images were captured when 3I/ATLAS passed near Mars. This adds another data point to the small but growing record of material that originates outside our solar system.
How Tianwen 1 tracked the interstellar comet
Interstellar objects are extremely rare. Astronomers have only narrow windows to capture movement, composition, and trajectory clues before they slip back into deep space. Before 3I/ATLAS, only two others had been confirmed – ‘Oumuamua in 2017 and 2I/Borisov in 2019 – according to Space.com.
This time, observation efforts were spread across different agencies. According to Space.com, NASA and the European Space Agency had already repositioned Mars orbiters and surface instruments to gather data as the comet moved past the planet earlier in October.
CNSA’s statement indicates Tianwen 1 was also tasked to follow the object’s motion. Tianwen 1 used its High-Resolution Imaging Camera, or HiRIC, for the observation. The camera normally photographs Mars’ surface from orbit.
What do the new 3I/ATLAS images tell us?
The imaging team had to adjust tracking to lock onto a small, faint comet, roughly 5.6 kilometers wide, traveling at about 129,800 mph (58 km/s) and located tens of millions of kilometers from the spacecraft.
CNSA said the processed data shows a “nucleus and a surrounding coma,” which spans several thousand kilometers. The agency described the operation as a technical extension of the mission, meant to test how Tianwen 1 performs when used beyond standard Mars imaging.
The agency also said the comet imaging provides experience for Tianwen 2, which launched in May and will attempt to collect samples from a near-Earth asteroid.
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What does China’s Tianwen 1 do?
Tianwen 1 launched in 2020 and entered Mars orbit in February 2021. Its rover, Zhurong, landed in Utopia Planitia later that year and operated for around 12 months. The rover is no longer active, but the orbiter continues functioning, according to Planetary.org.
The newly released frames of 3I/ATLAS add another small record to an event scientists rarely get to witness.
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FAQs
What is 3I/ATLAS?
3I/ATLAS is an interstellar comet believed to have originated beyond our solar system.
How did Tianwen 1 capture the comet?
It used its high-resolution imaging camera to track the comet as it passed near Mars.
Why is the sighting significant?
Only three interstellar objects have ever been confirmed entering the solar system.
What is Tianwen 1 currently doing?
The orbiter remains active around Mars while the Zhurong rover is inactive.
