US EditionHubble Spots Rare Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS in Eruption
Observations from Hubble, ESA's Juice spacecraft, and ground telescopes reveal jets from erupting ice volcanoes on comet 3I/ATLAS, a rare interstellar visitor with a carbon-rich composition.
- The Hubble Space Telescope and Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer both captured images of Comet 3I/ATLAS as it approaches Earth on December 19, 2025, for the closest time in its trajectory.
- Comet 3I/ATLAS is the third interstellar object observed, first discovered in July 2025, and is traveling on a hyperbolic orbit, returning to interstellar space after passing through our solar system.
- NASA and ESA reported significant observations of the comet, including its glowing coma and two tails, with additional data expected in February 2026 to shed light on its composition.
- Astronomers claim that 3I/ATLAS could reveal important details about planetary formation, given its unique characteristics and an estimated size of 0.3 to 5.6 kilometers.
72 Articles
72 Articles
Boulder scientists track interstellar comet that sparked unfounded alien theories
Scientists in Boulder are using existing NASA spacecraft to track a rare interstellar comet called 31/ATLAS as it travels through Earth’s solar system. Comet 3I/ATLAS was first observed on July 1 and is only the third known object that’s been discovered to enter Earth’s solar system from another solar system, according to NASA. The comet poses no threat to humanity, and the closest it will get to Earth is about 170 million miles. The comet spark…
By Ashley Strickland, CNN. The Hubble Space Telescope and the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer mission captured new images of an interstellar comet as the object makes its closest approach to Earth this month. Comet 3I/ATLAS has intrigued astronomers because it originated outside our solar system but was discovered traveling through our celestial neighborhood in July. Since it is only the third interstellar object ever observed passing through our sol…
Comet 3I/ATLAS prepares to make its closest approach to the Earth on December 19, a unique astronomical event that could represent the best opportunity to observe this interstellar visitor.3I/ATLAS is just the third object coming from outside the solar system discovered during its passage through the vicinity of our cosmic neighborhood. NASA continues to study it with various spacecraft and telescopes with the aim of learning as much as possible…
More and more data is being collected about the mysterious comet.
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