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Space
Space
Science
Robert Lea

Saturn threw a comet out of the solar system at 6,700 mph. Here's how

In the forground a irregular light blue sphere trailed by a tail of white smoke there is ringed planet behind it.

Scientists have discovered a comet traveling one way out of the solar system after a close encounter with Saturn. 

The comet, designated Comet A117uUD (A117uUD), was only discovered on June 14, 2024, by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS). Yet, researchers were able to use 142 observations of the comet to "wind back" its orbit around the sun. This revealed that A117uUD met up with Saturn, the second-largest planet in the solar system, famous for its bright and distinctive rings, in 2022 and was changed forever. 

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