A rare interstellar comet, 3I/Atlas, will make its closest approach to Mars on Friday, just 18 million miles away. Multiple spacecraft from NASA and the European Space Agency at Mars are poised to observe the visitor, which poses no threat to Earth. The comet will also be tracked by ESA's Juice mission as it heads towards Jupiter and will make its closest pass to Earth in December. This marks only the third known interstellar object to visit our solar system.

Prepared by Olivia Bennett and reviewed by editorial team.