Overview
- 3I/ATLAS hit perihelion on October 29 at roughly 1.4 AU from the Sun, marking peak activity as it remains difficult to view until it reappears for Earth-based telescopes in early December.
- The International Asteroid Warning Network has scheduled a coordinated observing campaign from November 27 to January 27 using Hubble, Webb, TESS and spacecraft near Mars.
- NASA and its Planetary Defense Coordination Office report no impact risk and no alert, countering media claims that a defense protocol was activated.
- Analyses suggest ESA’s Hera and NASA’s Europa Clipper could sample the object’s dispersed particle field if quickly retargeted, a time-sensitive option that would compete with primary mission goals.
- Researchers are investigating reported anomalies — an anti-tail, nickel-rich ejecta and unexpected water release — while the object’s confirmed hyperbolic path identifies it as an interstellar comet.