Discover Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS: Experience Its Journey Through NASA’s Cutting-Edge Observations!

NASA is in the middle of an exciting mission. It’s observing comet 3I/ATLAS, the third known interstellar object to enter our solar system. Since its discovery on July 1, twelve NASA spacecraft and telescopes have been capturing images of the comet, giving scientists a peek into its unique features compared to our own comets.

One of the closest views came from Mars. This fall, 3I/ATLAS zipped by Mars, about 19 million miles away. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter took some of the closest images. Meanwhile, the MAVEN spacecraft collected ultraviolet images that help scientists analyze the comet’s makeup. The Perseverance rover even caught a faint view while on the Martian surface.

Navigating the sky near the Sun, some of NASA’s heliophysics missions tracked 3I/ATLAS when it passed behind the Sun. This made it impossible for ground-based telescopes to capture images. NASA’s STEREO spacecraft caught images from September to October, while the ESO and SOHO missions made observations in mid-October. These efforts mark the first time NASA’s heliophysics team has focused on an object from another solar system.

NASA’s Psyche and Lucy spacecraft, which are on their way to study asteroids, also grabbed some sights of 3I/ATLAS. Psyche observed the comet on September 8 and 9, while Lucy took images from 240 million miles away on September 16. Both sets of images help scientists track the comet’s trajectory and gather details about its structure.

The ATLAS telescope in Chile discovered 3I/ATLAS and shortly after that, the Hubble Space Telescope provided more views. Throughout August, the James Webb Telescope offered additional imagery, allowing for an in-depth study of this cosmic traveler.

3I/ATLAS is set to make its closest approach to Earth on December 19, at a distance of about 170 million miles—almost twice as far as the Sun. NASA plans to continue following the comet as it travels through our solar system, passing by Jupiter in spring 2026.

This unprecedented observation campaign not only showcases NASA’s capabilities but also contributes to our understanding of how different solar systems may differ from our own. According to recent research from the American Astronomical Society, studying interstellar objects like 3I/ATLAS can provide clues about the building blocks of planets and moons in other star systems.

For more information on NASA’s observations, check out their dedicated page: https://go.nasa.gov/3I-ATLAS.

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Comets, Heliophysics, Hubble Space Telescope, James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), Lucy, Mars, Mars 2020, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN), Missions, Perseverance (Rover), Planetary Science, Planetary Science Division, Planets, Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere (PUNCH), Psyche Mission, Science & Research, Science Mission Directorate, SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory), STEREO (Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory), The Solar System, The Sun