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1h ago

NASA to Unveil New Images of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS as Radio Detections Bolster Activity Signs

The live briefing will integrate spacecraft and ground-based views to contextualize hydroxyl emissions that point to water-driven outgassing.

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Overview

  • NASA plans a live presentation today at 10:00 Brasília time from Goddard to release compiled imagery across NASA+, the agency site, YouTube and Amazon Prime, with public questions via #AskNASA.
  • Astronomers report radio detections from 3I/ATLAS that include hydroxyl (OH) emission, a standard indicator of water-ice–driven comet activity now undergoing continued analysis.
  • Agency officials including Amit Kshatriya, Nicky Fox, Shawn Domagal-Goldman and Tom Statler are slated to brief the findings and outline the multi-mission observing campaign.
  • The object poses no hazard to Earth and is expected to make its closest approach at about 270 million kilometers on December 19.
  • A simultaneous target, long-period comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon), brightened after its November 8 perihelion and offers a comparative study case with a retrograde, roughly 1,150–1,350-year orbit, while 3I/ATLAS remains the third confirmed interstellar visitor after a July discovery and an early-October pass about 30 million kilometers from Mars.