Here is a Spanish history.
NASA is in the midst of an unprecedented Solar System-wide observing campaign, turning its spacecraft and space telescopes to follow Comet 3I/ATLAS, the third known interstellar object to pass through our Solar System. Twelve NASA assets have captured and processed images of the comet since it was first discovered on July 1, and several others will have the opportunity to capture more images as the comet continues to pass through our solar system.
By observing the comet from so many locations, NASA has the opportunity to learn more about how 3I/ATLAS differs from our Solar System’s home comets and gives scientists a new opportunity to learn how the structures of other systems may differ from our own.
observations from mars
The closest image of the comet was taken by a NASA spacecraft on Mars. Earlier this fall, 3I/ATLAS flew past Mars from a distance of 19 million miles, where it was observed by three NASA spacecraft. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) captured one of the closest images of the comet, while the MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution) orbiter obtained ultraviolet images that will help scientists understand the comet’s composition. Meanwhile, the Perseverance rover caught a glimpse of Mars’ surface.
sun gazing scene
Some of NASA’s heliophysics missions have the unique ability to observe areas of the sky near the Sun, which allowed them to track Comet 3I/ATLAS as it passed behind our Sun as seen from Earth, making it impossible to observe with ground-based telescopes. NASA’s STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) took pictures from September 11 to October 2, and the ESA (European Space Agency) and NASA missions SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) observed the comet on October 15 and 16. Images from NASA’s PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unite Corona and Heliosphere) mission, which launched earlier this year, reveal the comet’s tail during observations. From 20 September to 3 October.
Despite observing and discovering thousands of comets before, this is the first time that NASA’s heliophysics mission has objectively observed an object originating in another Solar System.
asteroid explorer
NASA’s Psyche and Lucy spacecraft, currently on their respective outbound voyages to study various asteroid targets throughout the Solar System, were able to observe 3I/ATLAS en route. On September 8 and 9, Psyche obtained four observations of the comet over eight hours from a distance of 33 million miles. These images will help scientists refine the comet’s trajectory. On September 16, Lucy took a series of images from 240 million miles away. Putting these images together provides details on the comet’s coma and tail.
The NASA-funded ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Late Warning System) telescope in Chile discovered 3I/ATLAS on July 1. Later that month it was observed by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. In August, both NASA’s James Webb Telescope and SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, the Epoch of Reionization, and the Ice Explorer) captured imagery.
Comet 3I/ATLAS will fly closest to Earth on Friday, Dec. 19 at a distance of 170 million miles, almost twice the distance between Earth and the Sun. The NASA spacecraft will continue to observe the comet as it makes its journey through the solar system, passing Jupiter’s orbit in the spring of 2026.
For more information about NASA’s Comet 3I/ATLAS observations, visit:
https://go.nasa.gov/3I-ATLAS