{"id":285023,"date":"2026-01-15T03:04:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T03:04:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/285023\/"},"modified":"2026-01-15T03:04:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T03:04:09","slug":"nasa-spacecraft-reveal-interstellar-comet-3i-atlas-brightened-dramatically-behind-the-sun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/285023\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA spacecraft reveal interstellar comet 3I\/ATLAS brightened dramatically behind the Sun"},"content":{"rendered":"

For now, the comet has slipped out of sight, hidden by the sun\u2019s glare as it completes its orbit this week. But researchers and amateur astronomers haven\u2019t lost track. Using data from multiple spacecraft, they\u2019ve been following its journey toward perihelion \u2014 the point where it swings closest to the sun.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The brightening of comet 3I\/ATLAS<\/p>\n

Observations show that 3I\/ATLAS has been glowing more intensely as it arcs behind our star. The comet reached its perihelion on Thursday, October 29, disappearing briefly from Earth\u2019s view.<\/p>\n

While most of the world waits for it to reappear, a handful of dedicated sky-watchers continue tracking it from spacecraft<\/a><\/strong>. On October 18, Thai amateur astronomer and veteran comet hunter Worachate Boonplod spotted 3I\/ATLAS in images from the GOES-19 satellite, part of NOAA\u2019s weather-monitoring fleet. The satellite\u2019s CCOR-1 instrument, normally used to observe the sun, caught the comet moving across its field.<\/p>\n

Tracking the comet from space<\/p>\n

Boonplod noted that the comet\u2019s brightness was similar to nearby stars, around magnitude<\/strong> 11, and that it would remain visible until October 24. \u201cIt\u2019s moving from left to right across the field,\u201d he wrote in the Comets Mailing List, \u201cand should leave the CCOR-1 view soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other spacecraft were watching as well. NASA\u2019s PUNCH mission \u2014 a set of four small satellites dedicated to studying the sun \u2014 and the joint NASA\u2013ESA SOHO observatory also followed the comet\u2019s progress. SOHO, orbiting nearly a million miles from Earth, used its LASCO C3 coronagraph to monitor 3I\/ATLAS until October 26. These instruments block the sun\u2019s light to reveal the outer solar atmosphere, or corona<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

What caused the brightening<\/p>\n

Then, on October 28, two researchers posted a paper on arXiv describing how 3I\/ATLAS had brightened sharply before reaching perihelion, peaking at around magnitude 9. That\u2019s still too faint to see without a telescope, but bright enough for home observers under the right conditions.<\/p>\n

Their analysis showed that the comet appeared distinctly blue \u2014 a telltale sign of gas emissions. As comets near the sun, their frozen surfaces sublimate into gas, creating a glowing envelope and long tail. Sunlight ionizes these gases, adding even more brilliance.<\/p>\n

The age and journey of 3I\/ATLAS<\/p>\n

Since its discovery in July, astronomers have been eager to study 3I\/ATLAS, only the third interstellar comet ever recorded. Current data show it\u2019s racing through the solar system at over 130,000 miles per hour.<\/p>\n

Despite rumors suggesting it might be an alien probe, scientists agree this visitor is simply a natural object \u2014 a rocky remnant from a distant galaxy<\/a><\/strong>. Its incredible velocity, the fastest ever measured for a solar system object, hints that it\u2019s been traveling for billions of years, slingshotting past stars and nebulae along the way.<\/p>\n

Some studies even suggest 3I\/ATLAS could be roughly 3 billion years older than our 4.6-billion-year-old solar system, making it perhaps the oldest comet ever observed. Hubble data also indicate it\u2019s massive \u2014 about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) across.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next for comet watchers<\/p>\n

The comet should reappear by early December, once again visible to ground-based telescopes. And if predictions hold true, spacecraft orbiting Jupiter<\/a><\/strong> might catch a glimpse as it passes the giant planet in March 2026.<\/p>\n

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