A rare interstellar comet, 3I/ATLAS, the third ever detected, was recently photographed by European Space Agency orbiters near Mars. The images, though challenging due to the comet's faintness, show it as a fuzzy white dot. While it has been observed multiple times since July, including by the Hubble Space Telescope, it poses no threat to Earth. The comet will approach its closest point to the sun in late October, passing between Mars and Earth, and will be visible until September before reappearing in December.

Prepared by Olivia Bennett and reviewed by editorial team.