Hubble captures rare interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS in stunning detail
Hubble just snapped detailed images of 3I/ATLAS, a rare interstellar comet discovered on July 1, 2025.
This speedy visitor is racing through our Solar System at about 210,000km/h and stands out because its dust plume points forward—not trailing behind like most comets.
What's unusual about this comet?
Instead of the usual glowing tail, Hubble saw a teardrop-shaped dust cloud wrapped around the comet's icy core (which could be anywhere from a few hundred meters to over five kilometers wide).
Oddly enough, scientists haven't detected any typical comet gasses yet—just dust streaming off the sunlit side.
How to see it
You'll need a powerful telescope to catch a glimpse before September 2025, when it gets too close to the Sun. It might pop back into view in December.
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope and others are gearing up to study what this cosmic traveler is made of as it swings by.
Comet's journey through space
3I/ATLAS is just the third confirmed object from outside our Solar System (after 'Oumuamua in 2017 and Borisov in 2019). Its wild speed hints at an epic journey through space that's lasted billions of years.
With new observatories coming online soon, we might be spotting more of these mysterious guests before long!