JUICE Captures Image of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS

The European Space Agency's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer spacecraft has captured a striking image of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, revealing its glowing coma and elongated tail as it departed the inner Solar System. The photograph, taken on November 6, 2025, by the onboard JANUS camera, shows the comet just seven days after its closest approach to the Sun on October 29, 2025. At the time, the JUICE spacecraft was positioned approximately 66 million kilometers from the object, providing a clear view against the dark backdrop of space.

The image depicts the comet's bright, egg-shaped coma, a hazy envelope of gas and dust surrounding its unseen icy nucleus, along with a sweeping tail extending away from the Sun. Fine details within the coma, such as jets, rays, streams, and filament-like structures, are visible, indicating how solar heating drove the release of material from the comet's surface. Arrows in the processed image mark the comet's direction of travel and the Sun's relative position, illustrating the influence of solar radiation and wind on its activity. According to the European Space Agency, these features suggest the comet behaved similarly to typical Solar System...