ESA's JUICE mission photographed 1st interstellar comet from 66 million km
ESA's JUICE mission captured 120 incredible images of comet 3I/ATLAS, an interstellar visitor, using its JANUS camera on November 6, 2025—about a week after the comet swung closest to the Sun on 29 October 2025.
The spacecraft was a whopping 66 million km away when it caught these shots.
Images show comet's tail, jets, and more
The photos reveal a glowing halo around the comet's tiny core, plus a dramatic tail and hints of jets.
JUICE used five instruments to gather data about what the comet is made of and what particles surround it—helping scientists learn more about objects from beyond our solar system.
Comet was discovered in mid-2025
Comet 3I/ATLAS was first spotted by the ATLAS survey in mid-2025 and was confirmed as interstellar by the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center.
While it may no longer be visible to Earth-based telescopes (it may have faded after perihelion), you can check out JUICE's images at esa.int.
ESA will share more findings in March 2026.