An interstellar comet discovered just months ago is heading toward Jupiter, and spacecraft are capturing stunning new images as it approaches. The European Space Agency released fresh photographs today of comet 3I/ATLAS, a cosmic wanderer that originated from beyond our solar system.
The ESA released new science-camera images of comet 3I/ATLAS captured by the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) spacecraft while en route to Jupiter. JANUS, the spacecraft's science camera, captured more than 120 images of 3I/ATLAS back in November 2025, but the data only just reached Earth last week due to transmission delays. The newly shared view shows the comet when it was close to the Sun and actively spewing dust and gas, with a bright halo of gas around the head—the coma—standing out, along with a long tail.
3I/ATLAS, also known as C/2025 N1, is an interstellar comet discovered on July 1, 2025, and is the third confirmed interstellar object passing through the solar system. Unlike typical comets born within our solar system, 3I/ATLAS formed in another star system and drifted through interstellar space for millions or even billions of years before recently arriving at our solar system. NASA's Swift Observatory caught the first-ever hint of water from such an object, detected through a faint ultraviolet glow of hydroxyl gas.
The comet's closest approach to Jupiter is scheduled for March 16, 2026, when it will pass within 0.358 AU (53.5 million km) of the gas giant. NASA's Juno spacecraft is still operational in Jovian orbit and could potentially image the comet during the encounter. ESA's instrument teams will come together in late March to discuss their findings from these observations, so more discoveries about this ancient visitor are likely coming soon.