Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS shines in new image captured after close pass by the sun (photo)

Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS shines in new image captured after close pass by the sun (photo) | Space Skip to main content Don’t miss these Space Toys & Lego Best Black Friday Lego space deals: Discounts on spaceships, space stations and NASA kits Skywatching Kit Best beginner cameras Skywatching Kit Best star projectors for kids: Night-lights and ambient toys to soothe young space fans Technology Best star projectors under $100: Black Friday 2025 Skywatching Kit Best binoculars 2025 — best overall models for stargazing, wildlife and general use ahead of Black Friday Skywatching Kit Best cameras for photos and videos 2025: The top models for astrophotography and everyday shooting Skywatching Kit Best smart binoculars 2025: Learn, share and be guided around the night sky Skywatching Kit Best star projectors 2025: The top projectors and planetariums ahead of Black Friday 2025 Skywatching Kit Best budget telescopes under $500 we recommend in 2025 Skywatching Kit Best cameras for astrophotography in 2025 — shoot the stars Skywatching Kit Best telescopes for kids Black Friday 2025: The best child-friendly scopes Skywatching Kit Best telescopes for seeing planets in 2025 Skywatching Kit Best telescopes for beginners Black Friday 2025: The best scopes for budding new astronomers Skywatching Kit Best telescopes ahead of Black Friday 2025: Observe stars, galaxies and nebulas Skywatching Kit Best smart telescopes Black Friday 2025: Observe stars, galaxies and nebulas with ease Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS captured by astronomer Gianluca Masi on Nov. 19. (Image credit: Gianluca Masi, Virtual Telescope Project)Astronomer Gianluca Masi captured a spectacular image of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS on Nov. 19, as it raced headlong away from the sun following a close pass of our parent star on Oct. 29, an event known as perihelion.Comet 3I/ATLAS was discovered on July 1 of this year and was quickly confirmed to be only the third interstellar object known to visit our solar system, after the 2017 flyby of bizarre object 1I/’Oumuamua and the more traditionally comet-like arrival of 2I/Borisov in 2019. NASA will release new images of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS that were “collected by a number of the agency’s missions” during a press conference today (Nov. 19) at 3 p.m. EST (2000 GMT), which you can watch live here on Space.com, courtesy of NASA.Masi captured 3I/ATLAS soon after it emerged from behind the glare of the sun in the weeks following perihelion, revealing a bright central nucleus surrounded by the diffuse glow of its gaseous coma. Stunning detail can also be observed in the comet’s ion tail, which takes on an almost spectral, gossamer-like appearance as it is caught up and swept away by the stream of charged particles emanating from the sun, known as the solar wind. Best picks for you Best Black Friday Lego space deals: Discounts on spaceships, space stations and NASA kits Best telescopes ahead of Black Friday 2025: Observe stars, galaxies and nebulas Best smart telescopes Black Friday 2025: Observe stars, galaxies and nebulas with ease A telescope to hunt comets (Image credit: Celestron)If you’re hoping to see a comet through a telescope, you may want to consider this Celestron Astro Fi 130mm, which made our list for the top telescopes for viewing comets.”For me, it is particularly interesting to see how such an interstellar object evolves,” Masi told Space.com in an email. “Knowing it came from so far away adds a very special flavor to the observations.”Masi’s image is the result of combining 11 individual 120-second exposures taken with a 10-inch (250 mm) astrograph telescope equipped with a state-of-the-art astronomy camera located at the Virtual Telescope Project’s facility in Manciano, Italy. The observations were made during a free public livestream under good atmospheric conditions as the comet travelled through the stars of the constellation Virgo in the early hours of Nov. 19 (local time).NASA is due to release new images of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS that were “collected by a number of the agency’s missions” during a live press conference at 3 p.m. EST (2000 GMT) later today (Nov. 19), which you can watch right here on Space.com, courtesy of NASA.Editor’s Note: If you capture an image of 3II/ATLAS and want to share it with Space.com’s readers, then please send your photos and comments along with your name and location to spacephotos@space.com. Get the Space.com NewsletterBreaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors Anthony WoodSkywatching WriterAnthony Wood joined Space.com in April 2025 after contributing articles to outlets including IGN, New Atlas and Gizmodo. He has a passion for the night sky, science, Hideo Kojima, and human space exploration, and can’t wait for the day when astronauts once again set foot on the moon. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. Logout Deals not to miss Best Black Friday Lego space deals: Discounts on spaceships, space stations and NASA kits    Best binoculars 2025 — best overall models for stargazing, wildlife and general use ahead of Black Friday    Best cameras for photos and videos 2025: The top models for astrophotography and everyday shooting    Best smart binoculars 2025: Learn, share and be guided around the night sky    Best star projectors 2025: The top projectors and planetariums ahead of Black Friday 2025    Best budget telescopes under $500 we recommend in 2025    Latest in Astrophotography Astrophotographer spies an ancient supernova remnant shining in the wing of a cosmic swan (photo)    Astrophotographer spies a spiral galaxy bursting with starbirth (photo)    Comet Lemmon photos are plagued by satellite streaks. Here’s how amateur astronomers face the problem    Astrophotographer captures the Elephant Trunk Nebula in breathtaking detail (photo)    Astronomer captures 2 meteors slamming into the moon (video)    Astrophotographer captures fiery plasma dancing above the sun in stunning close-up video    Latest in News Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS shines in new image captured after close pass by the sun (photo)    The moon is farther from Earth tonight than it will be until 2043    Rocket Lab launches hypersonic test flight for US military (photo)    Fly high with this low price on the DJI Mini 4K drone, now 21% cheaper in an early Black Friday drone deal    ‘Predator: Badlands’ remembers that action movies should be fun    6 things you might have missed in the new ‘Fallout’ Season 2 trailer (video)    MORE FROM SPACE…16 things you might have missed in the new ‘Fallout’ Season 2 trailer (video)2The moon is farther from Earth tonight than it will be until 20433Rocket Lab launches hypersonic test flight for US military (photo)4’Predator: Badlands’ remembers that action movies should be fun5Pilot captures jaw-dropping northern lights show from 36,000 feet (photos) Close Please login or signup to comment Please wait… Login Sign Up