Overview
- NASA and ESA say 3I/ATLAS poses no danger, with the closest approach expected on December 19 at roughly 240–270 million kilometers from Earth.
- Recent reports from the Minor Planet Center and NASA’s JPL note a fivefold increase in brightness and a measurable non‑gravitational acceleration after perihelion.
- Researchers will probe whether cometary outgassing explains the acceleration by looking for a massive coma; early imagery has not revealed the expected gas cloud, leaving the cause unresolved.
- Major assets are queued to observe the object, including Hubble, JWST, TESS, Swift, SPHEREx, Solar Orbiter, SOHO, Parker Solar Probe, and ESA’s JUICE in early November, with Chinese officials reporting images from Tianwen‑1.
- Spectroscopic observations highlight atypical chemistry such as nickel vapor and low water content, while claims of artificial origin remain unsubstantiated by official data.