Overview
- China’s Tianwen‑1 released October 1–4 observations showing a distinct nucleus inside a coma spanning several thousand kilometers, with no tail visible in the processed frames.
- Post‑perihelion images from multiple observatories likewise show a bright, CO2‑rich coma without a clear tail, while one researcher reports a green C2 glow and suggests the tail may be viewed nearly head‑on.
- Navigation updates cite small non‑gravitational acceleration and an estimated mass loss of about 13% after the Sun flyby, prompting intensified follow‑up to pin down natural outgassing effects.
- High‑resolution Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter images remain unreleased during the U.S. government shutdown, and a congressional letter says NASA plans to publish them once operations resume.
- The interstellar object will pass about 270 million kilometers from Earth on December 19, with coordinated campaigns by JWST and European assets expected to refine size and composition constraints.