The mysterious interstellar object 3I/ATLAS is just days away from its closest approach to Earth, triggering a major planetary defense drill.
The European Space Agency (ESA), NASA, and more than 23 nations have launched the largest drill in history which will run through January 2026, using the suspected comet's harmless passage through the solar system as a test for tracking future threats from space.
3I/ATLAS is expected to come within 170million miles of Earth on Friday, and space agency officials have said there is no risk of a potential collision with the interstellar object.
However, this relatively short distance from our planet (roughly twice the distance between the Earth and the sun) is being used to sharpen the detection of high-velocity near-Earth objects (NEOs) that could one day impact the planet.
Something doesn't sit quite right here.
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