![This is a Hubble Space Telescope image of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. Hubble photographed the comet on July 21, 2025, when the comet was 277 million miles from Earth. Hubble shows that the comet has a teardrop-shaped cocoon of dust coming off its solid, icy nucleus. Because Hubble was tracking the comet moving along a hyperbolic trajectory, the stationary background stars are streaked in the exposure. [Credit — Image: NASA, ESA, David Jewitt (UCLA); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI)]](/cdn-cgi/image/onerror=redirect,width=640,height=640,format=webp/https://storage.googleapis.com/uploads.mongoosehq.com/url/media/67568703/bbaf014b38ae8bb1614573ceed7436c92f4a2c9f23ef93b2127a8c9e8640f8a4)
Overview
- Astronomers report 3I/ATLAS is back in Earth’s view and brighter than before, with detections from Lowell Observatory and prospects for small-telescope sightings near dawn this month.
- NASA and ESA continue to assess the object as a natural comet with no threat to Earth, and the Pentagon’s AARO says it is outside its UAP mission.
- Observers documented unusual features at perihelion, including a blue appearance, rapid brightening and measured non‑gravitational acceleration, with reports of CO2-rich activity and nickel still under analysis.
- HiRISE images captured by Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on Oct. 2–3 have not been publicly released during the U.S. government shutdown; Rep. Anna Paulina Luna has sought their release, and NASA plans to brief her office.
- Unverified images and a purported Japanese video circulating online remain unsupported, as international campaigns prepare follow-up observations ahead of the roughly Dec. 19 closest approach at about 167–170 million miles.