Overview
- ESA released a partial JUICE NavCam image taken November 2 that clearly shows a coma and a hint of both a plasma tail and a fainter dust tail, with full instrument datasets expected to downlink in February 2026 due to limited transmission while the high-gain antenna serves as a heat shield.
- JUICE passed about 66 million kilometers from 3I/ATLAS on November 4 after perihelion, and the mission reports the object appeared in an active state that instrument data should characterize across imaging, ultraviolet, submillimeter, and particle measurements.
- NASA shared new Hubble observations from November 30 at roughly 178 million miles that help refine the nucleus size, activity, and trajectory, reaffirming a hyperbolic, unbound path for the interstellar visitor.
- Agency and observatory teams point to JWST spectroscopy showing dust, water ice, other volatiles, and CO2, with small non‑gravitational accelerations consistent with outgassing typical of comets.
- 3I/ATLAS is projected to reach a distant closest approach to Earth around December 19 and to pass near Jupiter in March 2026, while separate claims of planetary‑defense drills and technosignatures remain unverified or disputed.