US EditionInterstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Just Made Its Closest Pass of the Sun — Where's It Going Next?
3I/ATLAS brightened rapidly to magnitude 9 near the Sun, revealing a high carbon dioxide to water ratio, unusual blueness, and rapid fading as it moves away from the inner solar system.
- On October 29, Comet 3I/ATLAS reached perihelion and brightened to about magnitude 9, making it detectable by backyard telescopes as the third known interstellar visitor since its discovery on July 1.
- Between mid September and late October, solar heating and sublimation caused Comet 3I/ATLAS to brighten rapidly as it closed from about 2 AU to 1.36 AU, with brightness scaling to the inverse heliocentric distance to the 7.5 power.
- Spacecraft coronagraph images resolved a coma about four arc-minutes across, confirming the comet was actively shedding gas and dust, as observed by GOES‑19.
- Beginning November 11, stargazers can see 3I/ATLAS in the predawn sky; it will pass closest to Earth on December 19 at about 168 million miles, with the European Space Agency saying it poses no threat.
- SPHEREx and Webb detected carbon dioxide, water, carbon monoxide, carbonyl sulphide and water ice, estimating the comet at 3 billion to 11 billion years old.
31 Articles
31 Articles
3I/ATLAS Brightens Dramatically as it Swings Past the Sun
Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS has undergone dramatic brightening as it approached its closest point to the Sun. Researchers have been using solar monitoring satellites to track it during a period when Earth based observations were impossible due to the comet's position behind the Sun. Analysis of data from STEREO-A, SOHO, and GOES-19 spacecraft revealed the comet brightened at an unexpectedly rapid rate between mid September and late October 2025,…
The third object from another solar system observed this week has made its maximum approach to the Sun. In recent weeks theories have spread suggesting that it could be a spaceship and information about the alleged activation of planetary defense protocols due to impact risk Read
3I/ATLAS had its maximum approach to the Sun... and now? NASA was able to detect a sudden glow as comet 3I/ATLAS “hidden” behind the Sun: this is what Castor's Moon 2025 is known: Supermoon and meteor rains illuminate the sky in NovemberOn Wednesday, October 29, it will pass for history in contemporary astronomy. An interstellar comment, which has been detected by the Earth's planetary defense system, has had its maximum approach to the Sun duri…
Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Dazzles As It Swoops Behind the Sun - WorldNL Magazine
Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS on Wednesday reached its closest point to the Sun, a point known as perihelion. Although this cosmic visitor hasn’t been visible from Earth since September, our space-based observatories were able to track it on its path toward our star, witnessing it as it grew brighter and brighter. As the comet approached the Sun, the stars heat caused the comet’s icy surface to rapidly transform from a solid to a gas—so fast that …
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 93% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
