Overview
- Lowell Observatory’s Qicheng Zhang released what appear to be the first optical images after perihelion on October 31, then confirmed the object is detectable with small amateur telescopes at dawn.
- Solar-monitoring spacecraft (SOHO, STEREO‑A, GOES‑19) recorded an unprecedented rapid brightening and a distinctly blue, gas‑dominated coma before perihelion, according to analyses by Zhang and Karl Battams.
- Swift observations reported ultraviolet signatures of OH at unusually large distances from the Sun, implying active water loss estimated at roughly tens of kilograms per second.
- JPL/NASA tracking indicates measurable non‑gravitational acceleration, yet officials reiterate there is no threat to Earth with the closest approach set for December 19 at about 1.8 AU (~270 million km).
- While a minority has floated artificial‑origin hypotheses, most astronomers describe 3I/ATLAS as an active comet, and international teams are coordinating November–December observations to test competing explanations.