Recent observations of 3I/ATLAS, the third interstellar object confirmed to traverse the solar system following 1I/Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov, reveal a sophisticated multi-jet configuration.
The image of 3I/ATLAS was captured by Lowell Observatory astronomer Qicheng Zhang on October 31, 2025. Image credit: Qicheng Zhang / Lowell Observatory.
Discovered on July 1, 2025, by the NASA-funded ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial Impact Last Alert System) survey telescope in Rio Hurtado, Chile, 3I/ATLAS is also referred to as C/2025 N1 (ATLAS) and A11pl3Z.
Originating from the direction of the Sagittarius constellation, this comet holds the designation of being the most dynamically extreme object recorded, characterized by its hyperbolic orbit with high eccentricity and extreme hyperbolic velocity.
3I/ATLAS came closest to the Sun, reaching perihelion, on October 30, 2025.
This interstellar visitor approached within 1.4 AU (astronomical units), or approximately 210 million km, of the Sun, which is just inside Mars’ orbit.
At perihelion, the comet traveled at a remarkable speed of about 68 km/s, and its proximity to the Sun temporarily rendered it invisible to Earth’s telescopes.
Following perihelion, it will once again be observable through telescopes until December as it gradually distances itself from both the Sun and Earth, returning to interstellar space.
The initial post-perihelion optical image of 3I/ATLAS (as shown above) was captured. This was announced on October 31 by astronomer Zhang Qicheng of Lowell Observatory using the Discovery Telescope.
This image of 3I/ATLAS was taken on November 8, 2025 by astronomers from the ICQ Comet Observation Group. Image credit: M. Jaeger / G. Lehmann / E. Prosperi.
On November 8th, three astronomers from the ICQ Comet Observation Group observed the comet situated 29 degrees from the Sun in the sky.
The images they captured depict a complex jet structure with at least seven jets, including several anti-tail planes.
“Given the multitude of jets emerging in various directions, the noted non-gravitational acceleration of 3I/ATLAS implies that more than 10 to 20 percent of its initial mass would need to be ejected near perihelion,” remarked Professor Avi Loeb of Harvard University discussing the ICQ images. He stated,
“Only a small fraction of this mass carries the necessary momentum in the favored direction.”
“Consequently, the debris cloud enveloping 3I/ATLAS likely constitutes a considerable portion of the comet’s original mass.”
This 3I/ATLAS image was taken on November 9, 2025, by astronomers from the British Astronomical Society. Image credit: Michael Buechner / Frank Niebling.
On November 9th, two astronomers from the British Astronomical Association (BAA) studied the comet using two telescopes.
Their combined image displayed a long “smoking” tail along with two anti-tail jets.
“3I/ATLAS is expected to make its closest approach to Earth on December 19, 2025, making the multijet structure an intriguing target for future observations with the Hubble and Webb telescopes,” Professor Loeb mentioned discussing the BAA images. He noted.
The minimum distance to Earth will be 269 million km, roughly 100 times the extent of the jet structure illustrated in the image.
Source: www.sci.news
