"Nasa releases close-up pictures on Wednesday of the interstellar comet that's making a quick one-and-done tour of the solar system. Discovered over the summer, the comet known as 3I/Atlas is only the third confirmed object to visit our corner of the cosmos from another star. It zipped harmlessly past Mars last month. Three Nasa spacecraft on and near the red planet zoomed in on the comet as it passed just 18m miles (29m km) away, revealing a fuzzy white blob."
"At the same time, astronomers are aiming their ground telescopes at the approaching comet, which is about 190m miles (307m km) from Earth. The Virtual Telescope Project's Gianluca Masi zoomed in Wednesday from Italy. This photo provided by Gianluca Masi shows 3I/Atlas as it streaks through space on 19 November 2025. Photograph: Gianluca Masi/AP The comet is visible from Earth in the predawn sky by using binoculars or a telescope."
The interstellar comet 3I/Atlas, discovered over the summer, is the third confirmed object from another star to visit the solar system. The comet passed harmlessly near Mars after being observed at about 18 million miles (29 million km) by three NASA spacecraft and two ESA satellites, revealing a fuzzy white coma. Multiple NASA spacecraft, the James Webb Space Telescope, ESA's Juice spacecraft and ground-based telescopes are observing the comet. Juice has been collecting data but cannot downlink until February because its main antenna is serving as a heat shield. The comet will reach about 167 million miles (269 million km) from Earth in mid-December and then depart back into interstellar space. Size estimates range from 440 meters to 5.6 km.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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