NASA Captures Unprecedented Views of Interstellar Comet โ3I/ATLAS with Multi-Probe Observations
WASHINGTON – NASA and international โฃpartnersโค have released โคa series of new images and data of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, capturedโข by a diverse fleet of spacecraft ranging from Mars rovers to โคsolar observatoriesโ and probes en route to Jupiter. The observations offer a โขunique โopportunity to study a visitor from beyond our solar system,providingโฃ clues about the formation and composition of planetary โขsystems around othre stars.
Whileโ the Mars rover Perseverance spotted 3I/ATLAS as a faint,elongated spot of light,other missions secured more detailed views. Solar observatories STEREO and SOHO, positioned approximately 1.5 million kilometers from Earthโ at Lagrange point 1, tracked theโ cometโค as it passed โbehind the Sun – a first โขfor theseโฃ missions, which have historically focused on solar activity.โ NASA explains this marksโข the first time these solar probes have specifically targeted an extrasolar object.
The NASA probe Lucy, currentlyโ traveling to the Trojan asteroids of Jupiter, capturedโค images showcasing the cometS tail. Meanwhile, the Psyche asteroid probe obtained images from around โ50 million kilometers away, aiding โฃin refining the comet’s trajectory. โฃ
Currently, the ESA’s JUICE spacecraft is ideally โpositioned to conduct aโค closer examinationโ of 3I/ATLAS, passing within approximatelyโฃ 60 million โkilometers.The JUICE team activated onboardโ instruments to analyze particles released by the comet, potentially revealing insights into its origins.โ
These combined observations represent a important step forward in understandingโ interstellar โขobjectsโ and the materials theyโ carry from distantโ star systems.
November 20,2025 โ- Nadja Podbregar (Source: NASA,Jet Propulsionโ Laboratory)
