Overview
- ESA’s JUICE released a partial NavCam image from November 2 showing a clear coma and hints of both a plasma tail and a fainter dust tail, with full datasets scheduled for February 18–20, 2026 due to limited downlink.
- Hubble’s November 30 observation reveals a teardrop-shaped halo with a sunward anti-tail, measuring roughly a 40,000 km glow radius and a ~60,000 km extension.
- NASA and partner teams continue to classify 3I/ATLAS as an active interstellar comet on an unbound trajectory, with spectra indicating water and carbon dioxide outgassing and non‑gravitational acceleration consistent with jets.
- The object’s closest approach to Earth is expected on December 19 at about 170–178 million miles, triggering intensified ground and space-based observing campaigns.
- Alternative ideas such as cryovolcanic jets or artificial origin have been proposed, but agencies report no supporting evidence for technosignatures and note such claims remain unverified.