Scientists have discovered a comet traveling one way out of the solar system after a close encounter with Saturn.
The comet, designated Comet A117uUD (A117uUD), was only discovered on June 14, 2024, by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS). Yet, researchers were able to use 142 observations of the comet to "wind back" its orbit around the sun. This revealed that A117uUD met up with Saturn, the second-largest planet in the solar system, famous for its bright and distinctive rings, in 2022 and was changed forever.
The meeting with the gas giant put the comet on a highly flattened or elliptical orbit that will fling it out into interstellar space beyond the influence of the sun. Using models to fast forward the path of A117uUD, the team found that it will exit the solar system at a speed of around 6,710 miles per hour (10,800 km/h). That is about four and a half times the top velocity of a Lockheed Martin F-16 jet fighter.
https://www.space.com/saturn-threw-comet-out-of-solar-system
