Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Develops Visible Tail as โฃit Approaches earth, Offering Clues โฃto Planetary System Formation
Washington D.C. -โฃ September 5, 2025 – Newly โฃreleased images reveal a developing tail on the interstellar cometโฃ 3I/ATLAS, as the celestial visitor continues โits โjourney closer to Earth. the observations, โขcaptured on Thursday, September 4, โ2025, offer scientists a rareโค possibility to study aโข comet originating outside our โsolar system and gain insights intoโ the formationโ ofโ planetary systems.
Discovered on July 1,โ 2025, by the ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System), 3I/ATLAS is only the third interstellar object ever detected withinโค our solar system. The previous two wereโฃ ‘Oumuamua (1I/2017 U1), discovered in 2017, and 2I/Borisov, found in 2019.
Currently 238 million milesโค (384 million kilometers) from Earth, 3I/ATLAS is projected to make its โฃclosest approach โto the sun at the end โof October. Its closest approach to โEarth will occur in โDecember, at a distanceโ of 167 million miles โข(269 million kilometers) – farther than the distance between Earth andโค the sun.
Theโ latest images, collected in collaboration with the Shadow the Scientists initiative, showcase the comet’s โwidening coma and the emergence of its tail, stretching approximately 1/120th of a degree across the sky. The images wereโฃ obtained using the Gemini Southโฃ telescope and its Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS)โข instrument.
“As 3I/ATLAS speeds back into the depths of interstellar space,this image is both a scientific milestone and a source of wonder,” โขsaid University โฃof Hawaii Institute for โคAstronomy astronomer โKaren Meech,teamโ leader,in a statement. “It reminds us that our solar system isโ just one part of a vast and dynamic galaxy, and that even the most fleeting visitors can leave a lasting impact.”
Crucially, initial observations suggest that 3I/ATLAS’s chemical composition is remarkably similar to thatโข of comets originating โ within our solar system. This finding supports the theory that the processes involved in planetary system formationโ are consistent across different stars. Comets are believed to form concurrently with planets and asteroids,offeringโฃ a snapshot of the conditions present during a system’s birth around 4.6 billion years ago.