The latest pictures from Comet 3I/ATLASdetermined using instruments from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (POTfor its acronym in English) and the European Space Agency (THEfor its acronym in English), show a significant increase in its activity. The closest approach to Earth is planned December 19thwhen it will be over at around 270 million kilometers.
The mission of Jupiter’s Ice Moon Explorerknown as Juicewhich is dedicated to the study of Jupiter’s icy moons and is currently on its way to the Jupiter system, made a series of observations between November 2nd and 4th.
Although data from its high-resolution scientific instruments will not be available until February 2026, a partial download of an image from the navigation camera (NavCam) is possible. allowed us to visualize the comet as it ejected material.
This image shows the coma, the shell of gas surrounding the nucleus, and signs of two distinct tails.
According to the ESA one of them corresponds to the plasma tailformed by ionized gas reacting to interaction with the solar wind. The other, weaker, corresponds to the dust particles ejected when the comet ice sublimates.
The record was taken two days before the spacecraft’s closest approach to the comet, when Juice was about 66 million kilometers away. The relatively long distance did not prevent us from observing clear signs of activity. which is related to the recent proximity of 3I/ATLAS to the Sunwhich occurred on October 30th at about 210 million kilometers.
He in turn Hubble Space Telescope tracked 3I/ATLAS again on November 30 after using its Wide Field Camera 3. The comet was about 286 million kilometers from Earth.
To track its movement, the observer adjusted his exposure time to the object’s movement, leaving the background stars as light trails.
This was not Hubble’s first intervention. The telescope had recorded it shortly after its discovery. In addition, other missions such as Psyche made observations.
According to the official statement The US agency plans to maintain this surveillance for several months as the object gradually moves away towards the outer solar system.
3I/ATLAS was discovered by the ATLAS system in July 2025funded by NASA, from a facility in Chile. Its estimated size of between 440 meters and 5.6 kilometers probably accounts for it the largest interstellar object discovered to date.
This comet has the typical properties of an object rich in volatile ice. with continuous gas and dust emissions describing its active state.
The activity intensified after that his close encounter with the sun At the end of October, which explains the clear definition of his coma and the simultaneous presence of two different tails.
In addition to Hubble and Juice, The James Webb Space Telescope is expected to resume operations Observations of the object during December. Various terrestrial observatories also conduct monitoring to supplement data from space missions.
This interstellar object is preparing to leave the solar system after completing its current trajectory. Ongoing observations aim to collect as much information as possible before it disappears from view of scientific instruments.
Some amateur observers are watching until December 19, when it makes its closest approach to Earth They will try to locate it using appropriate equipment, although the distance will still be considerable.. Its passage does not pose any danger, but represents an opportunity to obtain additional data about it their behavior and development as it continues its ascending path into space.
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