Skip to comments.
Astronomy Picture of the Day - 3I ATLAS: Tails of an Interstellar Comet
NASA ^
| 1 Dec, 2025
| Image Credit & Copyright: Victor Sabet & Julien De Winter
Posted on 12/01/2025 12:39:54 PM PST by MtnClimber
Explanation: How typical is our Solar System? Studying 3I/ATLAS, a comet just passing through, is providing clues. Confirmed previous interstellar visitors include an asteroid, a comet, a meteor, and a gas wind dominated by hydrogen and helium. Comet 3I/ATLAS appears relatively normal when compared to Solar System comets, therefore providing more evidence that our Solar System is a somewhat typical star system. For example, Comet 3I/ATLAS has a broadly similar chemical composition and ejected dust. The featured image was captured last week from Texas and shows a green coma, a wandering blue-tinted ion tail likely deflected by our Sun's wind, and a slight anti-tail, all typical cometary attributes. The comet, visible with a telescope, passed its closest to the Sun in late October and will pass its closest to the Earth in mid-December, after which it will return to interstellar space and never return.
TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: 3iatlas; apod; aviloeb; interstellar; nasa; naturalobject
To be added or removed from the Astronomy Picture of the Day ping list please send me a request via "Private Reply" (Mail). For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.
To: MtnClimber
2
posted on
12/01/2025 12:40:18 PM PST
by
MtnClimber
(For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
To: 21stCenturion; 21twelve; 4everontheRight; A Navy Vet; A_perfect_lady; abb; AFB-XYZ; AFPhys; ...
Pinging the APOD list
🪐 🌟 🌌 🍔
3
posted on
12/01/2025 12:41:09 PM PST
by
MtnClimber
(For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
To: MtnClimber
4
posted on
12/01/2025 12:45:58 PM PST
by
NavyShoe
To: MtnClimber
NICE! The nucleus is in there somewhere….
5
posted on
12/01/2025 1:04:17 PM PST
by
telescope115
(Ad Astra, Ad Deum…)
To: MtnClimber
"Mine is a long and sad tale..."
6
posted on
12/01/2025 1:55:16 PM PST
by
null and void
(New NYC hungry homeless begging sign: "I got what you voted for, PLEASE HELP!")
To: null and void
7
posted on
12/01/2025 2:09:21 PM PST
by
dayglored
(This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalms 118:24)
To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Arthur Wildfire! March; Berosus; Bockscar; BraveMan; cardinal4; ...
8
posted on
12/01/2025 2:10:15 PM PST
by
SunkenCiv
(Kudos to the Admin Moderator, reason: "Randspam" [ 4354167 ])
To: MtnClimber
They’re looking for eggs.
9
posted on
12/01/2025 2:35:39 PM PST
by
AFB-XYZ
(( We have two options: 1. Stand up, or 2. Bend over))
To: MtnClimber
These people are going to look pretty silly if it turns out to be an alien spacecraft.
10
posted on
12/01/2025 7:47:37 PM PST
by
Savage Beast
(When the student is ready, the teacher appears.)
Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson
