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NASA Shares First Images of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Captured From Mars

PASADENA, CA ‌- November 24, 2025 – NASA has released a series of unprecedented images of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, captured by spacecraft currently orbiting and exploring Mars. The images, taken by the Mars reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), MAVEN, and Perseverance rover, offer⁣ scientists a rare possibility to study an object originating outside our solar system.

3I/ATLAS, discovered in⁣ 2023, is only ‌the third confirmed‌ interstellar object detected passing through our solar ‌system. Its close approach to Mars in⁢ late ‌September and early October⁢ 2025 allowed for detailed observations unavailable from‍ Earth-based telescopes.

The HiRISE camera on MRO captured images showing the comet and its surrounding gas envelope, estimated​ to be approximately 1500 kilometers in diameter, formed by gas released as the comet nears the Sun. Scientists hope further analysis‍ of these​ images will help determine the size of the comet’s nucleus – its icy, dusty core – and⁢ the composition of ‌its ⁤particles.

“Observations of interstellar objects are still rare enough that we learn something new every time,” said shane Byrne, hirise principal investigator at the⁤ University of Arizona.”We are lucky 3I/ATLAS passes ‌Mars this​ close.”

MRO’s project ‌scientist, Leslie Tamppari of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, added, “One of MRO’s biggest contributions to ​NASA’s work on Mars is observing surface phenomena that only HiRISE can see.this is one of the opportunities where we can also study ⁤passing space objects.”

Simultaneously occurring, MAVEN’s Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph (IUVS) observed 3I/ATLAS for ten days (September 27 to October 7)‍ across various wavelengths. the resulting images depict the comet ⁢as a ‌bright, pixelated dot, exhibiting⁤ white at its center, blue ‌at the‍ edges, and ​dark purple in the outer coma. IUVS data also provides the most detailed information yet⁣ on the comet’s chemical⁣ composition, including an upper limit on the⁣ hydrogen to ⁣deuterium ratio,⁢ offering clues ⁢to its origin.

perseverance rover, operating within Jezero Crater, also successfully captured images of 3I/ATLAS on October 4 using its Mastcam-Z camera, ⁢requiring a long exposure time due to the object’s‌ faintness.

Currently, 3I/ATLAS is exhibiting new⁣ behavior, including increased brightness, new⁤ ultraviolet and X-ray activity, and more vibrant colors as it emerges from behind the Sun.

The comet will reach its closest point to Earth on December 19, 2025, at a distance of almost twice ⁢the earth-Sun distance (2 AU), posing no​ threat to⁢ our planet.