Hubble Estimates Size of Interstellar Comet as NASA Probes Deep Space

Swift Summary:

• NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captured the sharpest-ever image of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS on July 21, 2025.
• The comet was discovered by NASA’s ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) on July 1, 2025, at a distance of 420 million miles from the Sun.
• Observations suggest that the size of its solid nucleus ranges between approximately 1,000 feet (320 meters) to as much as 3.5 miles (5.6 kilometers), though it cannot be directly observed yet.
• The comet is traveling at an unusual speed of around 130,000 miles per hour (209,000 kilometers per hour), which points to billions of years spent in interstellar space before entering our solar system.
• Dust plumes and tails typical for comets have been recorded with loss rates resembling those seen for Sun-bound comets within our solar system.Though, this comet originated outside our solar system in another part of the Milky Way galaxy.
• Additional missions like James Webb Space Telescope and TESS will further examine its chemical properties and origins.
• After being obscured by the Sun post-September observation window through ground-based telescopes, it is predicted to reappear by early december.

Indian Opinion Analysis:
The recent findings on interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS represent a meaningful leap forward in humanity’s ability to observe and study celestial bodies beyond our solar system. India’s growing role in space exploration may gain from these insights as international scientific collaborations between agencies such as NASA and ISRO could enhance efforts in understanding planetary defense mechanisms or uncommon cosmic phenomena like interstellar visitors.

For a country advancing its expertise in astronomy through projects like Astrosat or upcoming large-scale facilities such as LIGO India and Chandrayaan missions, this discovery underscores how global partnerships can expedite breakthroughs while reinforcing vigilance against potential asteroid-impact threats.

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