A streak of light is thought to be comet 3I/ATLAS as it flies past Mars from Wednesday through Tuesday and only the third interstellar object identified, according to NASA. Photo Courtesy of NASA/UPI
Oct. 7 (UPI) -- NASA and the European Space Agency are tracking the 3I/ATLAS interstellar object as it travels past Mars on its way toward the Sun and through the solar system.
The object is thought to be a comet and is only the third interstellar object to be identified within the solar system, according to NASA.
NASA's Mars Perseverance rover might have captured an image of 3I/ATLAS, which scientists first discovered in July, as it passed Mars at a distance of 23.6 million miles from the Red Planet.
The NASA rover's right navigation camera recorded images that show a streak of light against an empty backdrop of space.
