New comet found in Solar System

MOSCOW. July 3 (Interfax) - Astronomers have recorded the discovery of a third interstellar object in the Solar System, according to information from the Minor Planet Center on Thursday.

The interstellar object, known as A11pl3Z, was detected by the ATLAS observatory in Chile, the statement said.

According to the data, the object was detected on four images taken on July 1. Scientists gave it another name, 3I/Atlas. They will also conduct follow-up observations to specify its orbit.

There are tentative reports on comet activity with an insignificant coma, the nebulous envelope around the nucleus of the comet, and a short 3-inch tail at a positional angle of 280 degrees, the statement said.

NASA said the comet poses no threat to Earth and will stay at a distance of some 240 million kilometers.

It is now at a distance of some 4.5 astronomical units (some 416 million miles or 670 million kilometers) from the Sun, it said.

According to official information, two such objects were previously known: 1I/Oumuamua, discovered in 2017, and the 2I/Borisov comet, discovered in 2019-2020.

An interstellar object is an object that is in the interstellar space and has no gravitational connection with any star.