NASA Reveals Our Closest Look Yet at Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS
NEWS | 20 November 2025
After teasing a major announcement, NASA has released a slate of new images of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, including the closest observations obtained to date. Across the Solar System, from observatories studying the Sun to spacecraft on the way to the asteroid belt, a slew of NASA-supported missions have managed to capture the visiting object as it moves through the Solar System. The closest observations, however, came from Mars, which was within a cosmic whisker of 3I/ATLAS; specifically, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), currently surveying the red planet from orbit. Related: Don't Panic! 3I/ATLAS Isn't an Alien Death Probe, But It Is Wildly Unusual "Comet 3I/ATLAS has … arrived at its closest point to the Sun when the Earth was on the wrong side for us to conveniently observe," NASA planetary scientist Tom Statler said during the event. "But Mars was on the correct side of the Sun, and our Mars assets were able to observe the comet. And also several of our other spacecraft were on the correct side of the Sun. So the scientific community is really excited about the comet and about these new observations." Scientists and the public alike have been avidly watching the comet since the ATLAS survey telescope first spotted it on 1 July 2025. The object's combination of properties makes it unlike any other comet we've seen, but its path through the Solar System placed it on the opposite side of the Sun from Earth during perihelion on October 29 – the crucial time when a comet's activity reaches a peak as its ices sublime into spurting vapor. Luckily, humans have grown pretty good at Solar System exploration, and a number of missions were able to take time from their core duties to watch the comet as it passed. The most impressive were from Mars because, as Science Mission Directorate associate administrator Nikki Fox noted, "the comet was right inside the orbit of Mars." We're yet to see perihelion images, but even while the US government was shut down, NASA missions continued to take observations, which the agency is now able to release. In addition to the MRO, which captured the comet at optical wavelengths, NASA's MAVEN orbiter observed the comet in ultraviolet wavelengths, providing different details about the hydrogen in 3I/ATLAS's atmosphere and tail. Meanwhile, the Perseverance rover was perfectly placed to watch the comet from the Martian surface. From their vantage point in solar orbit, NASA's solar observatories PUNCH, STEREO, and the joint NASA-ESA mission SOHO captured images. LUCY and Psyche – missions to study interesting targets in the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter – also managed to snag sightings. All the images are a little on the fuzzy side, but all will provide crucial information for learning as much as possible about this strange comet. As a comet, indeed, it is – in spite of the best efforts of those suggesting alien malevolence. "I'd like to address the rumors," NASA associate administrator Amit Kshatriya said. "I think it's important that we talk about that. This object is a comet. It looks and behaves like a comet and all evidence points to it being a comet. But this one came from outside the Solar System, which makes it fascinating, exciting, and scientifically very important." That cometary identity is supported by a recent photo captured by astrophotographer Satoru Murata of New Mexico on November 16, who shared an image on Facebook. It showcases long, luscious, streaming tails and a slightly green coma – all consistent with a natural origin. We're not done with 3I/ATLAS yet. Its closest approach to Earth will take place on December 19. It'll still be some distance away, but that'll be the best opportunity for capturing it with telescopes and cameras right here on Earth.
Author: Michelle Starr.
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