NASA's Europa Clipper may encounter comet 3I/ATLAS on its journey
NASA's Europa Clipper, on its way to explore Jupiter's moon Europa, might cross paths with the ion tail of comet 3I/ATLAS between October 30 and November 6, 2025.
If it happens, this would be a rare chance to grab data from a visitor born outside our solar system—the kind of cosmic encounter that doesn't come around often.
Encounter could provide 1st-ever direct measurements of solar wind
If Europa Clipper's instruments are up and running, and the solar wind lines up just right, the spacecraft could directly measure charged particles from the comet's tail for the first time ever.
Even if conditions aren't perfect, any magnetic or plasma blips picked up could still teach us more about these mysterious interstellar travelers.
It's all part of NASA's bigger quest to unlock secrets about Jupiter's moons—and maybe even life beyond Earth.