Space-based telescope observes the expanding tail on a comet from a distant stellar origin
The National Science Foundation's NoirLab, which operates the Gemini South telescope in Chile, has taken the most detailed pictures yet of the interstellar comet 3I-Atlas. These images reveal a wide coma of dust and gas surrounding the ice ball of the comet, with its tail more extended than in previous shots.
First published on Sep. 4, 2025, the story about comet 3I-Atlas has been updated to correct the name of the agency that operates the Gemini South telescope. It is the National Science Foundation, not the National Space Foundation.
As of Thursday, the comet was 238 million miles from Earth, and it will make its closest approach to the sun at the end of October. After that, the comet will pass closest to Earth in December, from 167 million miles away. It is worth noting that during its closest approach to Earth, the comet will be farther from Earth than the sun.
The activity of comet 3I-Atlas is increasing as it plows through our solar system, making it an exciting subject for astronomers worldwide. The Associated Press Health and Science Department, which is supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is solely responsible for all content in the story.
While the telescope facility that captured the most precise images of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is not explicitly named in the search results, the Thüringer Landessternwarte (TLS) with its 2-meter Alfred-Jensch telescope and advanced camera system from the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam is a prominent German observatory equipped for high-resolution astronomical imaging, potentially involved in detailed observations like those of 3I/ATLAS.
Stay tuned for more updates on the fascinating journey of comet 3I-Atlas as it continues to make its way through our solar system.
