An animated GIF showcasing the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, created from a compilation of images obtained by ESA’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter on October 3rd. (Image credit: ESA/TGO/CaSSIS)
Based on an ESA announcement, two spacecraft orbiting Mars have obtained fresh imagery of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, offering the closest perspective the European Space Agency (ESA) will achieve of this enigmatic celestial body.
The comet, originating from an uncharted stellar system located far beyond our own, is presently engaged in a multi-month passage through the inner solar system. Its nearest point to Mars occurred on Friday (Oct. 3), preceding its close approach to the sun on Oct. 30. During its recent transit past the Red Planet, the comet entered the observation range of ESA and NASA’s array of robotic explorers, notably ESA’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and the Mars Express orbiter.
Flying at an altitude of 18.6 million miles (30 million kilometers), the comet’s faintness hindered capture by Mars Express. Nevertheless, the ExoMars TGO spacecraft was successful in securing a sequence of images, which ESA subsequently assembled into an animated GIF. This animation portrays the comet — appearing as a blurred, radiant point — advancing towards the frame’s center while rapidly moving away from Mars at roughly 130,000 mph (210,000 km/h).
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What can we see?
The luminous point signifies the comet’s nucleus (the aggregation of icy rock constituting the comet’s primary body) alongside its coma (the diffuse cloud of gas emitting from the nucleus upon warming). As comets draw closer to the sun, NASA explains, the ice on their exteriors undergoes sublimation into gaseous form, leading to the expansion and brightening of the coma. Furthermore, the pressure exerted by the inflowing solar wind can propel the coma’s gas and particles away from the sun, thus forming the comet’s characteristic tails.
ESA representatives remarked that, because TGO’s primary purpose is observing the Martian terrain from merely hundreds of miles distant, its apparatus are not ideally suited for spotting distant, rapidly moving objects like 3I/ATLAS.
“The comet’s luminosity is approximately 10,000 to 100,000 times lower than our typical target,” stated Nick Thomas, the principal investigator overseeing ExoMars’ Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System, in the announcement. Consequently, the latest images lack a visible tail. However, this does not imply the comet is tailless; ESA authorities suggested that as 3I/ATLAS progresses closer to the sun, its coma and tail are likely to expand and intensify in brightness.
An image from the Mars Perseverance rover obtained on Oct. 4 potentially exhibits Comet 3I/ATLAS as a vivid streak overhead. Due to the U.S. government cessation, NASA’s public communications have been temporarily suspended, and the image’s identity remains unconfirmed.
Presently, the novel imagery does not provide supplementary insight concerning this distinctive object, though ESA intends to persist in scrutinizing visuals acquired from both its Mars-orbiting satellites with expectations of extracting fresh specifics pertaining to the comet’s potential magnitude and makeup.
It is still indefinite if any of NASA’s exclusive Mars rovers or satellites likewise noticed the comet during its near approach, as the agency has halted every public statement amid the continuous U.S. government dormancy. Nevertheless, an unedited photograph recorded by the Perseverance rover’s Right Navigation Camera on Oct. 4 displays a shining, streaking entity in the sky which might potentially be Comet 3I/ATLAS, based on Live Science’s allied website Space.com. No formal details regarding the photograph have been disseminated.
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3I/ATLAS marks the third confirmed interstellar object — succeeding 1I/’Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov — and appears as the largest thus far, with estimations falling approximately between 3 and 7 miles (5 to 11 km) across. Its velocity and pathway imply its passage through the galaxy has spanned billions of years, making it presumably considerably older than the sun.
Currently, the comet traverses beyond the sun’s reach, out of Earth’s visibility, though it should reemerge for observation via terrestrial telescopes by early December. The comet will swiftly pass Jupiter in March 2026 prior to its permanent departure from our solar system.
Brandon SpecktorSocial Links NavigationEditor
Brandon serves as the space/physics editor for Live Science. His published works encompass appearances in The Washington Post, Reader’s Digest, CBS.com, the Richard Dawkins Foundation website, alongside additional venues. He possesses a bachelor’s degree in creative composition from the University of Arizona, in conjunction with subsidiary studies in journalism and media disciplines. He generally favors composition concerning space exploration, geoscience studies, and the intricacies of the universe.
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