There’s something deeply humbling about a stranger from space. This time, it's comet 3I/ATLAS, a visitor from another star system. NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has now captured its clearest image yet.
NASA telescopes track comet 3I/ATLAS with precision
Astronomers have used Hubble’s sharp vision to observe the comet. It shows a dust tail and a faint dust plume. The images suggest the comet is active and sun-warmed.
Its solid core, or nucleus, is still hidden. But experts estimate it to be 320 metres to 5.6 kilometres wide. The icy nucleus remains invisible, even to Hubble’s powerful lens.
NASA’s other telescopes are also watching the comet closely. These include the James Webb Space Telescope and TESS. The Swift Observatory and W.M. Keck Observatory are also involved. Together, they will reveal more about the comet’s chemistry.
Fastest solar system visitor ever recorded
The comet is racing through space at 209,000 kilometres per hour. That’s the fastest speed seen for a solar system visitor. It has likely travelled for billions of years in space.
Gravity from stars and nebulae sped it up over time. Each pass gave the comet a new push forward. Now, it tears through our solar system like a cosmic bullet.
Scientists say it’s impossible to know where it began. “It’s like glimpsing a bullet for a split second,” said David Jewitt, a researcher at UCLA and lead scientist on the Hubble project.
The comet behaves like many from our own system. It was first spotted 420 million miles from the Sun. The NASA-funded ATLAS system discovered it on July 1, 2025.
A growing group of interstellar travellers
3I/ATLAS is only the third such comet ever seen. Jewitt believes many more are waiting to be found. He says new survey systems make this possible today.
The comet should stay visible until September for telescope watchers. After that, it will pass behind the Sun. Astronomers expect it to reappear again in early December.
More NASA missions will track its path in coming months. Their findings will help us understand such cosmic wanderers better. Scientists hope these efforts protect Earth and broaden space knowledge.
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