Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Exhibits Growing Tail as It Approaches the Sun
Recent telescope observations reveal that interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is developing an extended tail and becoming more active as it nears the Sun.
Recent observations from the Gemini South telescope in Chile have provided detailed images of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, showing a wide coma of dust and gas surrounding the nucleus and an increasingly extended tail.
According to the National Space Foundation's NoirLab, which operates the telescope, these images confirm that the comet is becoming more active as it travels through our solar system.
As of Thursday, 3I/ATLAS was approximately 238 million miles (384 million kilometers) from Earth. It is projected to make its closest approach to the Sun at the end of October and will pass closest to Earth in December at a distance of 167 million miles (269 million kilometers), posing no threat to the planet.