Overview
- Hubble imaged 3I/ATLAS on November 30 from about 178 million miles away, showing a pronounced coma.
- ESA’s Juice captured a November 2 view from 41 million miles that hints at a plasma tail plus a fainter dust tail.
- Harvard’s Avi Loeb reports a roughly 16.16-hour brightening cycle that he argues needs explanation.
- Other scientists say the periodic brightening fits normal comet behavior from rotating volatile patches producing jets.
- NASA and ESA characterize 3I/ATLAS as a comet, with coordinated follow-up observations continuing through its passage.