NASA has released its closest images yet of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter providing the nearest optical views and MAVEN contributing ultraviolet data. Multiple spacecraft — including PUNCH, STEREO, SOHO, LUCY and Psyche — captured the comet across different wavelengths. Officials emphasize that the object is a natural comet originating from outside our Solar System, and a November 16 photo shows classic cometary tails and a greenish coma. The comet's closest approach to Earth will occur on December 19, offering the best chance for ground-based observations.
NASA Shares Closest Views Yet of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS — Mars Orbiter Captures Best Shots
NASA has released its closest images yet of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter providing the nearest optical views and MAVEN contributing ultraviolet data. Multiple spacecraft — including PUNCH, STEREO, SOHO, LUCY and Psyche — captured the comet across different wavelengths. Officials emphasize that the object is a natural comet originating from outside our Solar System, and a November 16 photo shows classic cometary tails and a greenish coma. The comet's closest approach to Earth will occur on December 19, offering the best chance for ground-based observations.
01:02 PM, 11/20/2025Science
NASA has released a new set of images of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, including the closest views captured so far as the object passed through the inner Solar System. Observatories and spacecraft across the system recorded the visitor in multiple wavelengths, giving scientists complementary perspectives on its composition and activity.
The most intimate observations came from Mars. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) obtained the nearest optical views, MAVEN captured ultraviolet measurements that reveal hydrogen in the comet's coma and tail, and the Perseverance rover monitored the event from the Martian surface.
"Comet 3I/ATLAS reached perihelion while Earth was on the far side of the Sun, but Mars and several spacecraft were well positioned to observe it," said NASA planetary scientist Tom Statler.
First detected by the ATLAS survey telescope on July 1, 2025, 3I/ATLAS exhibits a mix of properties that set it apart from typical Solar System comets. Its perihelion — the closest point to the Sun — occurred on October 29, when cometary activity typically peaks as ices sublimate into gas and drive visible emission.
From solar-orbiting platforms, missions including PUNCH, the twin STEREO spacecraft and the joint NASA–ESA SOHO observatory captured images of the comet as it moved through the inner system. Asteroid-bound missions LUCY and Psyche, traversing between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, also recorded sightings. Although many of the returned images are somewhat fuzzy, together they provide a crucial dataset for studying this interstellar visitor.
"It looks and behaves like a comet and all evidence points to a natural origin," said NASA associate administrator Amit Kshatriya, addressing online speculation about an artificial origin. "Its interstellar origin makes it especially valuable to science."
Amateur and professional astronomers have contributed useful ground-based imagery as well. A November 16 photograph by astrophotographer Satoru Murata shows long streaming tails and a slightly green coma — features consistent with common cometary chemistry.
3I/ATLAS will make its closest approach to Earth on December 19. While it will still be relatively distant, that date provides the best opportunity for ground-based telescopes and cameras to capture clearer observations.
Scientists will continue to analyze the combined observations across wavelengths to learn more about the comet's composition, activity and possible origin. The newly released data will inform follow-up observations and peer-reviewed studies in the months ahead.