Overview
- The interstellar visitor is projected to make its closest pass on December 19 at roughly 240–270 million kilometers from Earth, with December offering viewing opportunities for professional and amateur telescopes.
- NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office organized a global observation campaign to track 3I/ATLAS and study its trajectory, behavior and composition.
- New HiRISE and ground-based images prompted alternative readings from Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb, who cites a forward-directed glow and linear side features in arguing for tests of non-natural explanations.
- NASA officials reiterate the object looks and behaves like a comet and stress there is no collision risk to Earth.
- Coverage highlights unusual characteristics under investigation, including speeds around 57–61 km/s, reported non-gravitational acceleration and atypical chemistry, with further checks expected from Hubble, JWST and major ground telescopes.