Overview
- 3I/ATLAS made its closest approach to Earth on December 19 at roughly 170 million miles, with no danger reported.
- NASA confirmed Parker Solar Probe’s WISPR captured daily images of the comet from October 18 to November 5 during a period when Earth-based viewing was obstructed by the Sun.
- Europa Clipper’s ultraviolet spectrograph detected oxygen, hydrogen, and dust-related signatures, indicating a post‑perihelion outgassing episode.
- Additional heliophysics missions, including PUNCH, STEREO, and SOHO, provided complementary perspectives, with teams now processing and calibrating datasets for detailed analysis.
- The comet is on course for a close pass by Jupiter in mid‑March 2026 at an estimated tens of millions of miles, and some reports note unusually high carbon monoxide that could point to formation in a very cold environment.