The European Space Agency's XMM-Newton space observatory has captured the first-ever X-ray images of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, revealing a crimson glow against the blackness of space. These observations provide an unprecedented look into the chemical makeup of an object that originated from another star system.
The comet, only the third confirmed interstellar visitor to our solar system, will make its closest approach to Earth on 19 December. It follows the discoveries of 1I/'Oumuamua in 2017 and 2I/Borisov in 2019. Scientists confirm 3I/ATLAS poses no threat, passing at a distance of approximately 168 million miles (270 million kilometres), nearly twice the distance between the Earth and the Sun.
