NASA will host a live teleconference on Wed., Nov. 19 at 3 p.m. EST to unveil previously unreleased images of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS captured over the past month. Release of the imagery was delayed while many NASA staff were furloughed during the Oct. 1–Nov. 12 U.S. government shutdown. The comet passed about 19 million miles (30 million km) from Mars on Oct. 3 and brightened near the Sun on Oct. 29; it is not expected to approach Earth closer than ~170 million miles (270 million km) on Dec. 19. ESA and NASA observations have confirmed a coma and substantially tightened the comet's predicted path; more observations are planned as it leaves the solar system.
NASA to Reveal Never-Before-Seen Images of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS — Live Teleconference Nov. 19
NASA will host a live teleconference on Wed., Nov. 19 at 3 p.m. EST to unveil previously unreleased images of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS captured over the past month. Release of the imagery was delayed while many NASA staff were furloughed during the Oct. 1–Nov. 12 U.S. government shutdown. The comet passed about 19 million miles (30 million km) from Mars on Oct. 3 and brightened near the Sun on Oct. 29; it is not expected to approach Earth closer than ~170 million miles (270 million km) on Dec. 19. ESA and NASA observations have confirmed a coma and substantially tightened the comet's predicted path; more observations are planned as it leaves the solar system.
02:25 PM, 11/18/2025Science
NASA to Share New Close-Up Images of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS
NASA will present its clearest images yet of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS during a live teleconference on Wednesday, Nov. 19 at 3 p.m. EST. Agency scientists and managers will discuss previously unreleased observations captured by spacecraft and ground-based telescopes over the past month.
The images were withheld while a large portion of NASA staff were furloughed during the U.S. government shutdown from Oct. 1 to Nov. 12, which delayed the agency's public communications about the comet.
Key recent events
On Oct. 3, 3I/ATLAS passed within roughly 19 million miles (30 million kilometers) of Mars — close enough for orbiters stationed there to record useful observations. The comet then reached its brightest, most active phase around Oct. 29 as sunlight warmed and sublimated surface ices.
NASA estimates the comet will not approach Earth closer than about 170 million miles (270 million kilometers) when it makes its nearest pass to our planet on Dec. 19.
What earlier observations showed
On Oct. 7, the European Space Agency released the best images it had obtained using the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and Mars Express. Those spacecraft were designed to image Mars at relatively close range, so the fast-moving comet appears mostly as a bright, elongated blur in their frames. Nevertheless, the data confirmed a coma — a cloud of ionized gas — around 3I/ATLAS, consistent with natural comet activity.
ESA teams combined Mars-orbiter measurements with ground-based telescope observations to better triangulate the comet's location and substantially reduce uncertainties in its trajectory through the solar system.
What NASA is expected to show
During the teleconference, NASA is expected to present new images from the HiRISE camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter taken in the days before and after the comet's Mars flyby, along with complementary data from other observatories. The livestream will be available on NASA's website, YouTube and Amazon Prime.
The public may submit questions on social media using the hashtag #AskNASA; some questions may be answered live.
Background and outlook
3I/ATLAS was discovered in late June and confirmed as an interstellar object in early July. It originates from a distant star system and is only the third interstellar object ever detected, so many aspects of its composition and origin remain unknown. Dozens more observations from Earth- and space-based telescopes are expected as the comet continues on its outbound path; spacecraft near Jupiter are also scheduled to observe it early next year as it departs our solar system.