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Mars spacecraft images pinpoint comet 3I/ATLAS's path with 10x higher accuracy: This could help us protect Earth someday | Space Skip to main content Don't miss these Comets European Mars orbiter spies interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS zooming past Red Planet (photos) Comets Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS will fly by Mars 1 month from now — and Europe's Red Planet orbiters will be ready Comets Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS will be eyed by Mars and Jupiter probes as it zooms past the sun this month Comets Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS could help protect Earth from dangerous asteroids. Here's how Astronomy Interstellar invader comet 3I/ATLAS could be investigated by these spacecraft as it races past the sun: 'This could be literally a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity' Comets China's Tianwen 1 Mars probe captures images of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS Astronomy James Webb Space Telescope takes 1st look at interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS with unexpected results Comets You won't see interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS zoom closest to the sun on Oct. 30 — but these spacecraft will Comets I watched scientists view the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS in real time. Here's what they saw Astronomy Scientists capture interstellar invader comet 3I/ATLAS growing a tail: 'This image is both a scientific milestone and a source of wonder' (photo, video) Comets Comet 3I/ATLAS could soon shower NASA's Jupiter probe in charged particles. Will it reveal more about the interstellar invader? Comets The interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is wrapped in carbon dioxide fog, NASA space telescope reveals Missions Ready for the next 'Oumuamua? Launching flyby missions to visiting interstellar comets is 'feasible and affordable,' study says Stargazing Astronomer catches sight of interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS returning to the predawn sky — Here's how you can too Comets Did NASA's Perseverance Mars rover just see interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS in the Martian night sky? (Main) the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as seen by the ExoMars TRO (Inset) an illustration of the Mars orbiting spacecraft (Image credit: ESA/TGO/CaSSIS/D. Ducros) The path of comet 3I/ATLAS through the solar system has been predicted with an accuracy 10 times greater than previous estimates, thanks to images taken by a European Space Agency spacecraft orbiting Mars. Though 3I/ATLAS poses no threat of striking Earth, the breakthrough could have important implications for defending Earth against other comets and asteroids someday.The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) spacecraft observed 3I/ATLAS between Oct. 1 and Oct. 7 as it passed relatively close to Mars, with the comet's closest approach bringing it to within 18 million miles (29 million kilometers) of the Red Planet on Oct. 3. Up until September, calculations of the location and trajectory of 3I/ATLAS relied on observations made by Earth-based telescopes. Scientists did expect a modest improvement in the accuracy of locating 3I/ATLAS with the addition of Mars-based data, but this addition actually yielded a tenfold improvement."The Mars probe got about 10 times closer to 3I/ATLAS than telescopes on Earth, and it observed the comet from a new viewing angle," the European Space Agency (ESA) wrote in a statement. "The triangulation of its data with data from Earth helped to make the comet’s predicted path much more accurate. Because 3I/ATLAS is passing through our solar system fast, traveling with speeds up to 155,000 miles per hour (250,000 kilometers per hour), it will soon vanish into interstellar space, never to return. The improved trajectory allows astronomers to aim their instruments with confidence, enabling more detailed science of the third interstellar object ever detected." You may like Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS will fly by Mars 1 month from now — and Europe's Red Planet orbiters will be ready Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS will be eyed by Mars and Jupiter probes as it zooms past the sun this month European Mars orbiter spies interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS zooming past Red Planet (photos) To image 3I/ATLAS, ExoMars TGO turned one of its instruments, CaSIS (Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System), which usually surveys the surface of the Red Planet in high resolution, toward the stars. The planetary defense team at ESA's Near-Earth Object Coordination Center accounted for the location of the ESA spacecraft around Mars to ensure it captured footage of 3I/ATLAS.This special consideration was necessary because observations of comet/asteroid trajectories are usually made using observatories in a fixed location, such as by Earth-based telescopes, or from orbit around Earth, such as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).Accounting for ExoMARS TRO's special location, exact position around Mars, and the speed at which it orbits the Red Planet, the planetary defense team, with aid from ESA flight dynamics and science and instrument teams, was able to use data from the spacecraft to calculate the future locations of 3I/ATLAS, or its "ephemeris."3I/ATLAS caught on camera. (Image credit: ESA/M. Devogele, T. Santana Ros, M. Michell, F. Ocana and L. Conversi)The data collected by ExoMars TRO represents the first time that astrometric data, or measurements of the position of a celestial object, have been collected and submitted to the Minor Planet Center (MPC) by a spacecraft orbiting another planet. The MPC is a hub of asteroid and comet observations from a range of observations, radar stations, and spacecraft.Get the Space.com NewsletterBreaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsThat is a big deal for planetary defense.The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter sees 3I/ATLAS (Image credit: ESA)"ESA routinely monitors near-Earth asteroids and comets, calculating orbits to provide warnings if required," the space agency wrote. "As this 'rehearsal' with 3I/ATLAS shows, it can be useful to triangulate data from Earth with observations from a second location in space. A spacecraft may also happen to be closer to an object, adding even more value."This isn't the last time that 3I/ATLAS will be observed by a distant spacecraft, either. The interstellar comet is currently being sped by JUICE (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer), which is bound for the Jovian system. Catching 3I/ATLAS immediately after its closest approach to the sun, JUICE is likely to get the best view of 3I/ATLAS during the interstellar comet's active phase as radiation from the sun is causing it to expel material.However, because this spacecraft is currently on the other side of the sun from Earth, the JUICE observations of 3I/ATLAS won't be available to scientists until Feb. 2026. Robert LeaSenior WriterRobert Lea is a science journalist in the U.K. whose articles have been published in Physics World, New Scientist, Astronomy Magazine, All About Space, Newsweek and ZME Science. He also writes about science communication for Elsevier and the European Journal of Physics. Rob holds a bachelor of science degree in physics and astronomy from the U.K.’s Open University. Follow him on Twitter @sciencef1rst. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. Logout Read more Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS will fly by Mars 1 month from now — and Europe's Red Planet orbiters will be ready Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS will be eyed by Mars and Jupiter probes as it zooms past the sun this month European Mars orbiter spies interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS zooming past Red Planet (photos) China's Tianwen 1 Mars probe captures images of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS Interstellar invader comet 3I/ATLAS could be investigated by these spacecraft as it races past the sun: 'This could be literally a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity' Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS could help protect Earth from dangerous asteroids. 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Mars spacecraft images pinpoint comet 3I/ATLAS's path with 10x higher accuracy. This could help us protect Earth someday