Overview
- 3I/ATLAS reaches its closest pass to the Sun around October 29 at roughly 1.35 AU, entering solar conjunction that temporarily hinders ground-based viewing.
- NASA/ESA assets including Hubble, JWST, Gemini South, Mars Express and ExoMars TGO have recorded an active coma and tail, with JUICE planning observations in early to late November.
- The Minor Planet Center’s public bulletin sets a coordinated comet-astrometry campaign for November 27 through January 27 to refine positions and brightness, a standard practice rather than an emergency response.
- Trajectory solutions place the object’s approach to Earth well over 1.5 AU (about 240–270 million km), and agencies reiterate there is no impact risk.
- Atypical features such as a shifting tail or ‘anticola’ have drawn scrutiny, while scientists attribute the behavior to solar-wind interactions and dismiss viral claims of planetary-defense activation or artificial origin as unsupported.