Vera C. Rubin Observatory imaged interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS June 2025
Technology
Turns out, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory snapped photos of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS way back in June 2025, almost 10 days before anyone officially spotted it.
The observatory was just testing its systems at the time, so these early images sat unnoticed until now.
Researchers find 9 archival 3I/ATLAS images
A research team dug through old data and found nine more shots of 3I/ATLAS, showing off its glowing coma of dust and gas.
Later, spacecraft like ESA's JUICE and NASA's Europa Clipper observed it up close and found it packed with hydrogen, oxygen, and loads of carbon, hinting at its unique origins from another star system.
Scientists estimate this cosmic traveler is between seven-12 billion years old!