NASA Saw an Interstellar Comet From a Viewpoint No One Expected

NASA Saw an Interstellar Comet From a Viewpoint No One Expected

NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft has recorded important new observations of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS using its Southwest Research Institute-led Ultraviolet Spectrograph (UVS). In July, 3I/ATLAS became only the third confirmed object from another star system known to pass through our solar system. The UVS instrument observed the comet during a brief period when viewing from [...]

Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Shows Rare Wobbling Jets in Sun-Facing Anti-Tail

Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS reveals rare wobbling jets in its sun-facing anti-tail, stretching over 620,000 miles. Observed from July to September 2025, the jets indicate the comet’s icy core rotates once every 15.5 hours. As only the third interstellar object known, 3I/ATLAS provides unique insights into cometary behaviour and formation in distant planetary systems.

Comet 3I/ATLAS Warning: Strange Wobble and Sunward Tail Spark Frenzy Over Alien Origins

Comet 3I/ATLAS is drawing unusual attention because it doesn't behave the way most comets do in photographs and time-series imaging. As it heads back out of the inner solar system, astronomers are analysing an odd sunward-pointing dust feature and shifting jet-like structures that appear to change position in a repeating pattern. The most baffling feature is a prominent 'anti-tail'—a dust stream that appears to extend a million kilometres in the…

Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS: Earth Flyby

Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS: Earth FlybyAttention grabbing interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS made its not-so-close flyby of our fair planet on December 19, 2025, at a distance of 1.8 astronomical units. This is about 900 light-seconds. Still, this deep exposure captures the comet from another star system as it gently swept across a faint background of stars in the constellation Leo about 4 days earlier, on the night of December 15. Though faint, col…