Published 8 hours ago • loading... • Updated 8 hours ago

NASA Opens Vast Data Archive on Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS

Recently, NASA opened a public archive compiling observations of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, hosting datasets in the Barbara A. Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes, NASA/IPAC Infrared Science Archive and Planetary Data System.
Driven by NASA's open‑science policies, the agency preserved data showing TESS captured 3I/ATLAS in May 2025, before its discovery by ATLAS on July 1, 2025.
Combining MAVEN spectra with Webb and SPHEREx infrared data revealed the comet's water, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide production rates differ from typical comets.
In the short term, researchers can use the archive to study 3I/ATLAS's structure and composition, and the release preserves a legacy dataset so future astronomers can compare interstellar objects.
More than a dozen NASA science missions and ground telescopes observed interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, which will soon leave our solar system but remain archived for future study as detection improves.

Insights by Ground AI

8 Articles

Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is 'bursting with methanol,' new study finds

The interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is unusually rich in alcohol — a chemical clue that could reveal how planets and icy bodies form around other stars.

10 days ago·United States

Read Full Article

Live Science

Center

NASA telescope spots the building blocks for life spewing out of comet 3I/ATLAS

NASA's SPHEREx space telescope detected organic molecules coming off comet 3I/ATLAS as the interstellar visitor made its closest approach to Earth in December.

1 month ago·United States

Read Full Article

National Today

NASA Captures Unprecedented Data on Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS - Washington Today

The interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, only the third such object ever detected passing through our solar system, was extensively observed by more than a dozen NASA science missions before it departed. This wealth of data, now available in NASA's public archives, is expected to fuel future discoveries about the nature of interstellar comets for decades to come.

8 hours ago

Read Full Article

theskylive.com

Comet 3I/ATLAS: Complete Information & Live Data

3I/ATLAS: Complete and live astronomy data, visibility information, sky charts, graphs, and tools for sky-watchers at all levels.

8 hours ago

Read Full Article

Mirage News

NASA's Comet Data Fuels Future Discoveries

5 min read Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS on Nov. 30, 2025, as observed by the Wide Field Camera 3 instrument on NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. NASA

13 hours ago

Read Full Article

NASA (Source)

How Open NASA Data on Comet 3I/ATLAS Will Power Tomorrow's Discoveries - NASA Science

5 min read How Open NASA Data on Comet 3I/ATLAS Will Power Tomorrow’s Discoveries Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS on Nov. 30, 2025, as observed by the Wide Field Camera 3 instrument on NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. NASA missions all across the solar system have collected data about the comet to be shared in public archives. NASA, ESA, STScI, D. Jewitt (UCLA), M.-T. Hui (Shanghai Astronomical Observatory). Image Processing: J. DePasquale (STScI) Th…

1 day ago·Washington, United States

Read Full Article

Think freely.Subscribe and get full access to Ground NewsSubscriptions start at $9.99/year