NASA's SPHEREx caught comet 3I/ATLAS erupting water vapor
Technology
The interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, only the third of its kind to visit our solar system, just put on a show as it swung past the Sun in October 2025.
Out of nowhere, it started erupting water vapor—something NASA's SPHEREx observatory was lucky enough to catch.
Comet spewed ancient ice, organic molecules, and rock dust
When the Sun's heat hit 3I/ATLAS, it sublimated ancient ice and penetrated its crust, releasing organic molecules, soot, and rock dust that had been hidden for billions of years.
As SPHEREx scientist Phil Korngut points out, this is a rare chance to study untouched interstellar material and learn more about what our solar system was made from way back when.