Tag: NOMAD
-
Interstellar Visitor Lights Up Mars Sky: First Close Look by ESA Orbiters
Rare Interstellar Visitor Captured by Mars Orbiters In a landmark moment for planetary science and astronomy, an interstellar comet—3I/ATLAS—passed close to Mars on October 3, offering a rare glimpse from Earth’s neighboring planet. The event marked only the third time humanity has observed a true interstellar object, following 1I/ʻOumuamua (2017) and 2I/Borisov (2019). As the…
-
Interstellar Visitor 3I/ATLAS Skims Mars Sky: What ESA’s Rovers Revealed
Interstellar visitor crosses the Martian sky As October 2025 unfolded, astronomers faced a familiar puzzle: how do you observe something that’s on the opposite side of the Sun? The answer, in part, lay with the many rovers and spacecraft stationed on Mars. From 1 to 7 October, Europe’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and Mars…
-
Mars rovers glimpse interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS near Mars
Rising Challenge: Observing a Visitor from Another Star In October 2025, astronomers faced a familiar problem with an unfamiliar guest. Comet 3I/ATLAS, a rare interstellar visitor entering our Solar System, was about to be swallowed by solar glare as it approached the Sun. From Earth, the glare of the Sun would wash out any view.…
-
ESA’s ExoMars and Mars Express Spotlight Interstellar Visitor 3I/ATLAS
ESA’s ExoMars and Mars Express observe interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS NASA/ESA’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and the Mars Express mission have joined a historic moment in planetary science by observing the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. The observations, captured with the Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System (CaSSIS) on TGO, show a faint but telling picture of…
-
ESA’s ExoMars and Mars Express Observe Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS
ESA’s Mars Orbiters Turn Their Eyes on a True Interstellar Visitor In a surprising turn for planetary science, Europe’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and Mars Express have recorded observations of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. While the nucleus remains far too faint to resolve, the coma surrounding the comet’s icy-rocky core becomes visible in CaSSIS…