NASA Tracks Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS After Close Solar Encounter
An incredible visitor from beyond our solar system has just made headlines — the interstellar comet known as 3I/ATLAS . This rare traveler, which originated somewhere outside our solar neighborhood, has just swung past the Sun, reaching its closest point, or perihelion , and is now heading back out into deep space. But before it vanishes into the cosmic darkness again, scientists around the world are racing to study it in detail.
According to NASA and the European Space Agency, 3I/ATLAS passed within about 203 million kilometers (126 million miles) of the Sun, a safe but scientifically exciting distance. For now, it’s hidden behind the Sun from Earth’s view, but astronomers expect it to reappear in the predawn sky by November 11 . Once visible again, telescopes both on Earth and in orbit will be focused on this remarkable interstellar object.
Discovered back in July 2025 , 3I/ATLAS is only the third confirmed interstellar object ever detected passing through our solar system — following 1I/‘Oumuamua in 2017 and 2I/Borisov in 2019. These objects are special because they weren’t born alongside our Sun or planets; they come from entirely different star systems, carrying with them material and mysteries from across the galaxy.
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NASA’s powerful James Webb and Hubble Space Telescopes , along with ESA’s orbiters around Mars, have been gathering data as 3I/ATLAS raced through the inner solar system. Observations have already revealed traces of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, water vapor, and other gases venting from its icy core as sunlight heats it — all clues to the environment where it originally formed billions of years ago.
And there’s even more intrigue. According to a new report by astrophysicist Avi Loeb and NASA’s Davide Farnoccia , the comet showed unexpected non-gravitational acceleration — meaning it wasn’t moving exactly as gravity alone would predict. This subtle push could be explained by powerful jets of gas erupting from its surface, but it has also stirred lively debate among scientists. Some suggest it might point to unique physical properties, while others, playfully, note that such behavior once inspired speculation about artificial origins in earlier interstellar visitors.
During its closest pass, 3I/ATLAS appeared to brighten and turn slightly bluer , which might be linked to the release of ionized gases — or possibly something far more exotic. Whatever the cause, astronomers are excited. ESA’s JUICE spacecraft and numerous telescopes will continue monitoring it through November and December, especially as it makes its closest approach to Earth on December 19 , about 270 million kilometers away — safely distant, but close enough for high-quality study.
What makes this moment so thrilling is that we are literally watching material from another solar system glide through ours — a cosmic messenger carrying the chemical fingerprints of a distant star’s nursery. Whether 3I/ATLAS is a standard comet or something stranger, it’s already rewriting what we know about how matter travels between the stars. And as one scientist put it, “We’ve got several more months to observe it — and there’s going to be amazing science that comes out.”
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