NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has once again captured images of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, which is speeding towards Earth on a path that will bring it close in December. This comet, first discovered in July 2025, originated from outside the solar system and has fascinated observers with its journey through the Milky Way. For months, it has attracted attention and sparked bizarre conspiracy theories about alien spacecraft as it makes its way through our cosmic neighborhood, on a trajectory that will eventually take it beyond our view.
3I/ATLAS gained notoriety in July 2025 when astronomers confirmed it as the third-known interstellar object identified within our solar system. Traveling at about 137,000 miles per hour, its speed and orbit indicated that it was formed in another star system and ejected into interstellar space. The comet likely drifted for billions of years from the direction of the Sagittarius constellation before entering our solar system.
Unlike typical comets that are bound to the Sun, 3I/ATLAS follows a hyperbolic orbit, ensuring it will return to interstellar space. Hubble observed the comet most recently on November 30, when it was approximately 178 million miles from Earth. During this observation, background stars appeared as streaks due to the comet’s rapid movement across the sky.
While its exact size remains uncertain, estimates suggest 3I/ATLAS measures between a few hundred feet to a few miles across, according to the European Space Agency (ESA). Hubble’s data estimated the comet’s solid icy nucleus to be nearly 1,400 feet to 3.5 miles wide. ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) also monitored 3I/ATLAS from November 2 to November 25, noting it was in a “very active state” following its closest approach to the Sun on October 30. Although comprehensive observations will not be available until February 2026, an initial image captured by JUICE revealed the comet’s bright gas halo and two distinct tails-one of ionized gas and another of dust particles.
NASA has shared fresh images of 3I/ATLAS, emphasizing that the comet poses no threat to Earth. It is projected to pass nearly 170 million miles away on December 19, roughly twice the distance between Earth and the Sun. While invisible to the naked eye, amateur astronomers can follow 3I/ATLAS with small telescopes in the pre-dawn sky until spring 2026, with NASA’s “Eyes on the Solar System” simulation tracking its trajectory.
The comet’s unusual origin has fuelled wild theories, including claims by Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb that it could be an alien spacecraft, although he acknowledged it is “most likely a comet of natural origin.” NASA has worked to quell these speculations, with Acting Administrator Sean Duffy stating, “No aliens. No threat to life here on Earth,” during a social media exchange. Nicola Fox, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, reassured the public in a news conference that there had been no evidence suggesting any technological signatures that would indicate anything other than a comet.
3I/ATLAS is fundamentally an interstellar comet, meaning it originates from outside our solar system, and it is currently traversing a hyperbolic trajectory through our cosmic neighborhood. It was first identified in July 2025 and confirmed as the third object from beyond the solar system.
Original Source: https://m.economictimes.com/news/international/us/hubble-takes-second-look-at-3i/atlas-what-nasa-found-has-scientists-buzzing/articleshow/125891530.cms
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Publish Date: 2025-12-10 19:32:00
