After teasing a major announcement, NASA has released a slate of new images of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, including the closest observations obtained to date.
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PUNCH’s observations of 3I/ATLAS when the comet was 231–235
million miles from Earth. (NASA/Southwest Research Institute) |
Across the Solar System, from observatories studying the Sun
to spacecraft on the way to the asteroid belt, a slew of NASA-supported
missions have managed to capture the visiting object as it moves through the
Solar System.
The closest observations, however, came from Mars, which was
within a cosmic whisker of 3I/ATLAS; specifically, the Mars Reconnaissance
Orbiter (MRO), currently surveying the red planet from orbit.
"Comet 3I/ATLAS has … arrived at its closest point to
the Sun when the Earth was on the wrong side for us to conveniently
observe," NASA planetary scientist Tom Statler said during the event.
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MRO's view of comet 3I/ATLAS, snapped from a distance of
just 30 million kilometers, or 19 million miles, on 2 October 2025.
(NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona) |
"But Mars was on the correct side of the Sun, and our
Mars assets were able to observe the comet. And also several of our other
spacecraft were on the correct side of the Sun. So the scientific community is
really excited about the comet and about these new observations."
Scientists and the public alike have been avidly watching
the comet since the ATLAS survey telescope first spotted it on 1 July 2025.
The object's combination of properties makes it unlike any
other comet we've seen, but its path through the Solar System placed it on the
opposite side of the Sun from Earth during perihelion on October 29 – the
crucial time when a comet's activity reaches a peak as its ices sublime into
spurting vapor.
Luckily, humans have grown pretty good at Solar System
exploration, and a number of missions were able to take time from their core
duties to watch the comet as it passed. The most impressive were from Mars
because, as Science Mission Directorate associate administrator Nikki Fox
noted, "the comet was right inside the orbit of Mars."
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Lucy's happy snap of the interloping comet.
(NASA/Goddard/SwRI/JHU-APL) |
We're yet to see perihelion images, but even while the US
government was shut down, NASA missions continued to take observations, which
the agency is now able to release.
In addition to the MRO, which captured the comet at optical
wavelengths, NASA's MAVEN orbiter observed the comet in ultraviolet
wavelengths, providing different details about the hydrogen in 3I/ATLAS's
atmosphere and tail. Meanwhile, the Perseverance rover was perfectly placed to
watch the comet from the Martian surface.
From their vantage point in solar orbit, NASA's solar
observatories PUNCH, STEREO, and the joint NASA-ESA mission SOHO captured
images. LUCY and Psyche – missions to study interesting targets in the asteroid
belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter – also managed to snag sightings.
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MAVEN observation of 3I/ATLAS on September 28.
(NASA/Goddard/LASP/CU Boulder) |
All the images are a little on the fuzzy side, but all will
provide crucial information for learning as much as possible about this strange
comet. As a comet, indeed, it is – in spite of the best efforts of those
suggesting alien malevolence.
"I'd like to address the rumors," NASA associate
administrator Amit Kshatriya said.
"I think it's important that we talk about that. This
object is a comet. It looks and behaves like a comet and all evidence points to
it being a comet. But this one came from outside the Solar System, which makes
it fascinating, exciting, and scientifically very important."
That cometary identity is supported by a recent photo
captured by astrophotographer Satoru Murata of New Mexico on November 16, who
shared an image on Facebook. It showcases long, luscious, streaming tails and a
slightly green coma – all consistent with a natural origin.
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Comet 3I/ATLAS on 16 November 2025, as seen from New Mexico.
(Satoru Murata/Facebook) |
We're not done with 3I/ATLAS yet. Its closest approach to Earth will take place on December 19. It'll still be some distance away, but that'll be the best opportunity for capturing it with telescopes and cameras right here on Earth.