SAND SPRINGS, Okla. — The nearby interstellar comet "3i/Atlas" has garnered worldwide attention for its characteristics unseen in our solar system. But it's also of particular interest to a Green Country firefighter.
3i/Atlas will become visible to telescopes in those early morning time windows beginning Nov. 12.
While Oklahoma has plenty of storm chasers looking to the skies, it also has Scott Bratt, a dedicated comet chaser. Right now he's on the tail of the comet, or rather, an anomalous tail that didn't show itself when close to the sun, unlike our solar system's comets.
"It is an early morning target, and you've got a small window to try to catch it (before sunrise)," Scott Bratt told 2 News on Nov. 11.
WATCH: Green Country amateur astrophotographer 'chasing' interstellar comet
"As far as we know, in recent times anyway since we've been able to catalog them, there's only been three. 3i stands for – this is the third interstellar object that they have identified passing through our solar system," Bratt said.
That means we don't know where this mysterious icy rock is from, or when – for now.
"It's a novelty because it's an interstellar traveler, but it's still just a comet passing through," Bratt added. "It already has (passed by the sun). It's on the backside of the sun and it's heading on out of our solar system now."
If you're wondering, Bratt, who also is a volunteer firefighter with Green Country Fire District, simply confirmed that he does not think the comet is secretly an alien space craft.
While Earth's scientists begin to study 3i/Atlas further, Bratt and his wife, Kit, look to both add to their YouTube publishings and to share the views with others.
"That's why we have a lot of outreaches and events with the Astronomy Club of Tulsa," Kit Bratt said. "And seeing the kids come out and look through your scopes, whether it's a solar (telescope) or the other deep sky scopes is really neat."
The Astronomy Club of Tulsa plans its monthly Guest and Members Night on Nov. 15, with the comet and ongoing solar activity causing aurora borealis being the main talkers. As always, the public is welcome to sign up for free, Bratt said.
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