3I/ATLAS Stirring to Life Before Closest Approach to Earth Revealed In NASA, ESA Newest Images

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) released new images of 3I/ATLAS. These confirm a dramatic increase in activity surrounding the interstellar object as it prepares for its closest approach to Earth.

The object is set to approach Earth at its closest distance on 19 December 2025. Based on the new images, scientific observers agree that the object is undergoing a dramatic transformation, erupting with gases and dust. Astronomers are analysing this flurry of activity quickly since the date of its closest proximity is fast approaching.

Discovery of the Interstellar Object in the Cosmos

This celestial body, which NASA claimed to be a natural comet, was first detected in July this year. It was a remarkable discovery because it is only the third object to be identified as originating from beyond our Solar System.

Its passage within our local system may be brief, though it is significant because it provides a rare chance for scientists to study original material from another star's planetary system before it departs for deep interstellar space, never to be seen again.

3I/ATLAS Is Showing Increased Activities in the Inner Solar System

The latest images from NASA and ESA show that 3I/ATLAS is activating rapidly as it crosses into the warmer areas of the inner solar system. Intense solar radiation is causing the core, a frozen, icy nucleus, to heat up and lead to sublimation. This is a process where solid material turns directly into gas, skipping the liquid phase.

As the object heats up, volatile materials, such as water ice and frozen carbon dioxide, are explosively released as gas and dust. This material now forms a massive, glowing cloud known as the coma that envelops the nucleus and stretches to a distinct tail.

The Anti-Tail and Loeb's Analysis

Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb noted a key anomaly in the new data. 'The rotational gradient map of the new Hubble image of the interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS, taken on November 30 with a remarkable angular resolution of 0.04 arcseconds per pixel, shows evidence for two jets, with a clear anti-tail extending out to more than 60,000 kilometers in the direction of the Sun,' he wrote on Medium.

An 'anti-tail' is a rare phenomenon where a portion of a comet's dust tail appears to point towards the Sun rather than away from it. This is typically an optical illusion caused by the observer's perspective, but Loeb argues that the scale and symmetry of the jets on 3I/ATLAS suggest they may not be natural.

Anticipation for 3I/ATLAS' Closest Flyby to Earth

The 3I/ATLAS is the third officially confirmed interstellar visitor after the discovery of 'Oumuamua and Comet 2I/Borisov. The object's path is an extremely hyperbolic orbit, which signifies that its velocity is high enough to carry it completely out of the Sun's gravitational pull. Unlike other comets, this object is not gravitationally bound to our star and is simply a transient guest in our Solar System.

Comet 3I/ATLAS reached its closest orbital point to the Sun, or perihelion, on 29 October 2025. During this event, NASA recorded its speed relative to the Sun increasing by approximately 153,000 miles per hour. Though currently on its outward path, the comet will make its closest approach to Earth on 19 December. Scientists and astronomers eagerly await this event, as it will provide crucial details to help them determine definitively whether the object is a natural comet or something else.