Mysterious Comet Enters Solar System, NASA Confirms It's The Fastest Interstellar Object Ever
Details about a mysterious interstellar object detected in the solar system on July 1 are now out, as shared by NASA scientists with the world.
An exciting new update has emerged from NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C, about a mysterious interstellar object – 3I/ATLAS, which is speeding through our solar system at extraordinary velocities.
Detected on July 1, the 3I/ATLAS has fascinated scientists in the USA and the rest of the world for running through the solar system at an astonishing speed of 1,30,000 miles per hour.
According to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope observations, the 3I/ATLAS is the fastest interstellar object ever detected, with its remarkable speed of 130,000 miles per hour. Capable of travelling 209,000 km/hour, 3I/ATLAS surpasses previous interstellar visitors such as Oumuamua and Borisov in speed.
Scientists are attributing billions of years of gravitational interactions, known as the 'gravitational slingshot effect", to the object's velocity, with passing stars, planets and nebulae imparting additional momentum to the comet. Given its rapid flow, the object is only briefly visible to the scientists, who have had to undertake their studies on the fleeting window of opportunity. NASA is hoping to capture as much information as possible about the 3I/ATLAS.
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope observations have also found other details about the fastest ever interstellar object in the solar system. When observations from Vera C. Rubin Observatory were revealed, it was believed the 3I/ATLAS's icy core could be 7 miles wide (11.2 km). However, the latest estimation claims it is much smaller, at most 3.5 miles (5.6 km) across and possibly 1,000 feet (320 meters) in diameter. Despite the readjusted estimation, 3I/ATLAS remains the largest interstellar object ever discovered.
It has also been confirmed through NASA's powerful telescopes that 3I/ATLAS is not a solid rock but only a comet, which is a chunk of ice containing frozen gases and dust surrounded by a halo of evaporating material. Another great revelation from the study is the estimated age of 3I/ATLAS. According to a thorough analysis by NASA, this object has been orbiting the Milky Way for at least eight billion years, which is nearly twice as old as the solar system itself, with an estimated age of 4.6 billion years.
While navigating through the solar system at incredible speeds, the 3I/ATLAS poses no threat to Earth, according to NASA scientists. When the object reaches the closest point to the sun in October, it will be on the opposite side of the Sun relative to Earth during this time, which eliminates the risk of collision and any significant gravitational disturbances.
view comments
First Published:
August 13, 2025, 12:12 IST
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
14 minutes ago
- Indian Express
First Isro-Nasa collaboration satellite NISAR's antenna reflector deployed in space
The gigantic antenna reflector on earth observation satellite NISAR, a joint Isro-Nasa mission, has successfully 'bloomed' in space, marking a significant milestone in the satellite's deployment phase. Confirming the successful antenna deployment, Nasa said in a statement that the step-wise unfurling of the antenna reflector with a diameter of 39 feet was completed Friday. NISAR (Nasa-Isro Synthetic Aperture Radar) is the first collaboration satellite of the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) and the United State's National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa). NISAR is the most expensive earth observation satellite ever built, weighing over 2.8 tonnes and costing $1.3 billion. Isro launched NISAR on July 30 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota, and it was later successfully inserted into a sun-synchronous orbit. NISAR is the first-of-its-kind space mission, which will study the earth's solid, liquid and frozen landforms. It is designed to track even the smallest changes in ice sheets, glaciers, forest coverage, oceans, soil moisture, earthquakes, and volcanic activity. NISAR is equipped with high-end dual radars that will be used to image the earth, once every twelve days. The onboard sophisticated radar systems form a combination of two synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems: an L-band system and an S-band system, capable of peering through clouds and facilitating an all-weather imaging of the earth. 'From innovative technology to research and modeling to delivering science to help inform decisions, the data NISAR is poised to gather will have a major impact on how global communities and stakeholders improve infrastructure, prepare for and recover from natural disasters, and maintain food security,' said Karen St Germain, director, Earth Science Division at the Nasa headquarters. Both the ISRO and NASA teams are currently focusing on fine-tuning the antenna and other components of the satellite. After the deployment of the antenna, NISAR will continue to remain in its calibration and testing phase. NISAR will remain under a 65-day engineering phase, during which the preliminary tests and calibration will be performed. On day 65 (tentatively early October), the first, full-frame scientific data will be taken and the science teams will check for its quality and other parameters. According to the NISAR team, the actual science phase of the mission will commence on day 70 (tentatively mid-October) onwards. Upon receiving data of the desired quality, it will be made available for use. The scientific commissioning phase of NISAR will commence on day 90 (tentatively early November).
NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
NASA-ISRO's $1.3 Billion Satellite NISAR Deploys Its Antenna In Orbit
In a landmark moment for global Earth science and international space collaboration, the world's most expensive civilian Earth imaging satellite-the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR)-has successfully deployed its massive radar antenna in orbit, marking a critical step toward delivering life-saving data to communities across the globe. If the mission progresses on track by the next Monsoon, India will have a great new watchtower in space that can help predict landslides, glacier lake outburst, and combined with weather data even help assess likely cloud bursts, all of these have been dogging the mountains of India in recent times. It is for this reason the NISAR satellite is called a life saving mission. The world has never seen a watch tower like this before and hence disaster managers are hoping all goes well for this hugely important mission. The 12m radar antenna reflector of #NISAR is now fully 'bloom' 🌸 Congratulations to @NASA JPL & @isro on this tremendous milestone! The systematic deployment—driven by multiple motor actuators & intricate cabling—faced many challenges. Some of the challenges involved were… — Dr. S Somanath (@SomanathSpeak) August 16, 2025 Launched on July 30, 2025, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on India's south -eastern coast, NISAR is a joint mission between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The satellite lifted off aboard India's GSLV-F16 rocket, a powerful vehicle powered by an indigenous cryogenic engine-a technology once denied to India but now a symbol of its space prowess. Weighing over 2.8 tons and costing $1.3 billion, NISAR is the most expensive Earth observation satellite ever built. Its mission: to track minute changes in Earth's surface-down to fractions of an inch-caused by earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions, glacier movements, and forest degradation. The data it collects will be vital for disaster preparedness, infrastructure monitoring, and climate resilience. "The successful deployment of NISAR's reflector marks a significant milestone in the capabilities of the satellite," said Karen St. Germain, director, Earth Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "From innovative technology to research and modeling to delivering science to help inform decisions, the data NISAR is poised to gather will have a major impact on how global communities and stakeholders improve infrastructure, prepare for and recover from natural disasters, and maintain food security," Germain said. A Technological Marvel Seventeen days after launch, on August 15, the satellite's 12-meter radar antenna reflector unfurled in orbit. This drum-shaped reflector, made of gold-plated wire mesh and supported by a 9-meter boom, is the largest ever deployed for a NASA mission in low Earth orbit. It directs microwave pulses from NISAR's dual radar systems-L-band from NASA and S-band from ISRO-toward Earth and receives the return signals, enabling high-resolution imaging even through clouds, vegetation, and rain. The unfurling process, dubbed the "bloom," involved the release of tension stored in the reflector's flexible frame, followed by motorized activation that locked the antenna into its final position. This milestone sets the stage for science operations to begin by late October 2025. A Mission to Protect and Inform "This is a first-of-its-kind, jewel radar satellite that will change the way we study our home planet and better predict a natural disaster before it strikes," said Nicky Fox, NASA's Science Mission Chief. NASA's Deputy Associate Administrator Casey Swails added, "It really shows the world what our two nations can do. But more so than that, it really is a pathfinder for relationship building". The satellite will revisit nearly every part of Earth's land and ice surfaces every 12 days, enabling scientists to create 3D time-lapse maps of surface changes. These insights will help forecasters and first responders stay ahead of floods, landslides, and other disasters, and aid decision-makers in agriculture, urban planning, and environmental conservation. India's Role: From Launchpad to Leadership India's contribution to the mission is not just symbolic-it's strategic. The GSLV-F16 rocket, which carried NISAR into orbit, represents India's growing capability in launching heavy payloads. The rocket's cryogenic engine, once a point of geopolitical tension, now powered mission that benefit the entire planet. "Congratulations India!" tweeted India's Minister of Science and Technology Jitendra Singh after the successful launch. "The mission will benefit the entire world community". ISRO's S-band radar complements NASA's L-band system, allowing NISAR to detect changes in vegetation, moisture, and snow with unprecedented sensitivity. Together, they form a powerful tool for monitoring Earth's dynamic systems. What's Next? With the antenna now deployed, the NISAR team will begin calibrating the radar systems and preparing for full-scale science operations. The satellite is expected to start delivering data by October 2025, with applications ranging from tracking glacier melt in Antarctica to monitoring groundwater depletion in India. As Wendy Edelstein, NISAR's Deputy Project Manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, noted, "NISAR is a 50-50 partnership between NASA and ISRO. It represents the largest collaboration of its kind and a model for future missions". In a world increasingly vulnerable to climate change and natural disasters, NISAR stands as a beacon of hope-an orbiting sentinel powered by international cooperation, cutting-edge technology, and a shared commitment to saving lives.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Nisar unfurls antenna reflector in orbit
Nisar team members at JPL, along with colleagues at ISRO facilities in India. Depicted on the screen at right, the reflector unfurled from 2 feet across in its stowed configuration to its full size, 39 feet, in 37 minutes. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech) BENGALURU: A major milestone has been achieved in orbit for Nisar, the joint Earth-observing satellite mission from Nasa and Isro, as its massive radar antenna reflector was successfully deployed, Nasa's Jet Propulsion System (JPL) has confirmed. Spanning 12 meters in diameter, the drum-shaped antenna reflector is a critical piece of science hardware for the Nisar mission. Designed to capture precise measurements of Earth's changing surface, the reflector had been tightly stowed since launch on July 30 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. Its successful deployment marks a turning point as the mission prepares to begin full-scale science operations later this year. Mounted at the end of a 9-meter boom, the reflector began its complex unfolding process on Aug 9, JPL, which is leading the Nisar project from Nasa's side, said, adding that over four days, the boom extended joint by joint. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Secure Your Child's Future with Strong English Fluency Planet Spark Learn More 'Then, on Aug 15, small explosive bolts that held the reflector assembly in place were fired, enabling the antenna to begin a process called the 'bloom' — its unfurling by the release of tension stored in its flexible frame while stowed like an umbrella. Subsequent activation of motors and cables then pulled the antenna into its final, locked position,' JPL said. Nisar project manager at JPL Phil Barela said this was the largest antenna reflector ever deployed for a Nasa mission. '...It's a critical component, and seeing it successfully bloom in space is the result of years of design, testing, and collaboration,' Barela added. Weighing around 64 kilograms, the reflector consists of 123 composite struts and a gold-plated wire mesh. Its large surface area enables the satellite's dual radar systems, Nasa's L-band and Isro's S-band synthetic aperture radars, to scan Earth's surface with exceptional detail. These radar systems allow Nisar to detect changes as small as a few centimeters, even through clouds, vegetation, and darkness. 'Nisar is poised to gather data that will help us understand Earth's dynamic systems like never before. This mission will empower communities and decision-makers with the science they need to improve infrastructure, respond to natural disasters, and strengthen food and water security,' Karen St. Germain, director of Nasa's Earth Science Division, said. One of the satellite's core capabilities is interferometric SAR imaging, which compares radar images taken over time to track subtle shifts on the ground. This technology will be used to monitor glacial movement, earthquake fault zones, volcanic deformation, and even ecosystem changes in wetlands and forests. 'Synthetic aperture radar works like a camera lens, focusing signals to create sharp images. With SAR, we can generate 3D movies that show how Earth's surface is changing — data that would be impossible to gather with traditional radars,' explained Paul Rosen, Nisar's project scientist at JPL. Nisar builds on a legacy of radar development at JPL, tracing back to missions like Seasat in 1978 and Magellan, which mapped Venus in the 1990s. 'With its antenna now deployed and systems undergoing final calibrations, Nisar is set to begin delivering science data by late fall,' JPL said.
