A comet has entered the Solar System from interstellar space and will pass harmlessly through the inner planets later this year, NASA says.
The comet, designated 3I/ATLAS, appeared to approach the Solar System from the direction of the constellation Sagittarius. Its path will bring it inside the orbit of Mars sometime in October, at a closest distance of about 130 million miles from the Sun.
The comet poses no threat to Earth. At its closest, it will be about 150 million miles away from the planet.
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The first confirmed observations came on July 1 from ATLAS, a ground-based telescope network funded by NASA and run by the University of Hawaii. The group of telescopes is designed to spot moving objects in the night sky and give early warning for any that may pass near to or potentially impact Earth.
Comet 3I/ATLAS will be visible to telescopes on the ground until September, and then again in December once it completes its closest pass to the Sun.
