ESA images show 3I/ATLAS getting active ahead of its close encounter with Earth

The interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, the third known object from outside our solar system, is departing the inner solar system after months of high-speed travel at roughly 130,000 mph (210,000 km/h).

Discovered in June and confirmed in July, it made close approaches to Mars and the Sun in October and will pass about 170 million miles from Earth on December 19.

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and ESA’s Juice orbiter have captured the clearest images yet, revealing a bright, active coma and multiple tails of gas and dust.

While Hubble observed the comet from 178 million miles away, Juice got much closer at 41 million miles, providing unprecedented detail, though the full scientific data from its instruments won’t be available until February 2026, Live Science has reported.

Observations from space telescopes, orbiters, and even Earth-based observatories continue to offer insights into this mysterious interstellar visitor as it leaves the solar system.

read more: https://www.livescience.com/space/comets/new-nasa-esa-images-show-3i-atlas-getting-active-ahead-of-its-close-encounter-with-earth

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