New Images Capture Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS as It Approaches Earth
WASHINGTON – NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) have released recent images of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, captured by spacecraft positioned throughout the solar system, as the comet prepares for its closest approach to Earth in the coming months. The observations offer a unique, multi-perspective view of the rare visitor from beyond our solar system.
3I/ATLAS,discovered in 2019,is only the third confirmed interstellar object to enter our solar system. Unlike most comets originating within our solar system, this one hails from interstellar space, offering scientists a valuable possibility to study materials from another star system. The new images, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, the Juice mission, and other observatories, showcase the comet’s activity and structure as it journeys closer to the sun.
The ESA’s Juice mission observed 3I/ATLAS using five scientific instruments over two days. However, the full dataset won’t be available until late February 2026.Currently, Juice is utilizing its main antenna as a heat shield during a close solar pass, relying on a smaller antenna for data transmission.
These latest images join observations from a dozen spacecraft – including Mars rovers, solar orbiters, asteroid trackers, and space telescopes originally designed for other purposes – that have already studied 3I/ATLAS. As the comet nears Earth, the James Webb space Telescope is scheduled to conduct further observations, alongside numerous ground-based scientific observatories and amateur astronomers. Every observation is crucial to understanding this mysterious object and its origins in the early Milky Way.
