Scientists utilized the WISPR (Wide Field Imager for Solar Exploration) instrument on NASA’s Parker Solar Probe to capture stunning images of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS between October 18 and November 5, 2025.
WISPR captures the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. Image credit: NRL / NASA / JHUAPL / Guillermo Stenborg, JHUAPL.
Discovered on July 1, 2025, by the NASA-funded ATLAS survey telescope in Rio Hurtado, Chile, 3I/ATLAS, also known as C/2025 N1 (ATLAS) and A11pl3Z, originated from the constellation Sagittarius.
This remarkable interstellar comet approached Mars on October 3 at a distance of just 0.194 AU and reached its perihelion, the closest point to the Sun, on October 30.
On December 19, 3I/ATLAS made its nearest pass to Earth, coming within 270 million kilometers (168 million miles) of our planet.
The spectacular images of 3I/ATLAS were obtained by the WISPR instrument aboard NASA’s Parker Solar Probe during a critical observation window from October 18 to November 5.
“The Parker Solar Probe captured around 10 images of the comet daily,” stated WISPR team members.
“During this observation period, the spacecraft accelerated away from the Sun following its 25th solar flyby on September 15.”
“These initial images are currently undergoing calibration and processing, revealing the comet’s movement behind the Sun from Parker’s vantage point.”
“At that time, the comet was located about 209 million kilometers (130 million miles) from the Sun, just beyond Mars’ orbit.”
“These images offer a rare opportunity to study the comet when it was too close to the Sun for ground-based observations.”
The WISPR team is diligently working to finalize the data by eliminating stray light and adjusting for varying exposure times between images, enhancing the comet’s visibility.
“The final images will significantly advance our understanding of this intriguing interstellar visitor,” researchers concluded.
Source: www.sci.news
