NASA has discovered the interstellar comet 3I/Atlas, located 4.5 au from the Sun, offering a rare glimpse into celestial bodies from outside our solar system. Scientists confirm it poses no threat to Earth as it passes closely by in late October.

NASA said the comet will make its closest approach to the sun in late October, scooting between the orbits of Mars and Earth — but closer to the red planet than us at a safe 150 million miles (240 million kilometers) away.

NASA has discovered a new interstellar comet that's currently located about 420 million miles away from Earth. The space agency spotted the quick-moving object with the Atlas telescope in Chile on Tuesday and confirmed it was a comet from another star system. The new interstellar comet's official name is 3I/ATLAS.