Overview
- 3I/ATLAS hit perihelion today at about 11:47 UT roughly 1.4 AU from the Sun, a geometry that leaves it unobservable from Earth until it emerges from the Sun’s glare.
- NASA says the interstellar comet poses no threat and will not come closer than about 1.8 AU, with its best Earth-based viewing expected after it reappears in early December and around a mid-December closest approach.
- Teams report unusual pre‑perihelion spectra, including a CO2‑rich coma, cyanide and bright atomic nickel with little or no iron, findings that require post‑conjunction confirmation and peer review.
- Speculation about artificial origin persists from some researchers who framed perihelion as an “acid test,” but most scientists and agencies characterize 3I/ATLAS as a natural, though unusual, comet based on current evidence.
- Follow‑ups include spacecraft checks such as ESA’s JUICE view in the coming days and a coordinated International Asteroid Warning Network campaign later this year to refine astrometry and composition.