Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS shines in new image photo of the day for March 2, 2026

A white, glowing egg-shaped object lies in the centre of the black-and-white image, on a dark, starry background. Glowing streaks spread upwards from the object. In the top left, a yellow arrow marked &lsquo;Sun&rsquo; points straight down, and a blue arrow marked &lsquo;Velocity&rsquo; points towards the 7 o&rsquo;clock direction. In the bottom left, an inset shows the same object on a lighter grey starry background, filled with ragged-edged, concentric egg shapes gradiented black-to-white — The European Space Agency's JUICE spacecraft got its first detailed view of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, capturing a glowing coma and sweeping tail. (Image credit: ESA/Juice/JANUS)

A spacecraft bound for Jupiter has caught a visitor from beyond our solar system.

This striking image of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS was imaged by the JANUS science camera aboard the European Space Agency's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) spacecraft; it reveals the object's glowing coma and sweeping tail of gas and dust.

What is it?

Comet 3I/ATLAS is only the third known interstellar object ever detected passing through our solar system. Unlike most comets, which originate in the Kuiper Belt or the Oort Cloud, this icy wanderer formed around another star before drifting into our cosmic neighborhood.

The bright, egg-shape glow at the center of the image is the comet's coma — a vast cloud of gas and dust released as sunlight heats the comet's icy nucleus. Stretching away from the coma is a long tail sculpted by radiation from the sun and the prevailing solar wind.

The arrows in the top left show the direction the comet is traveling (blue) and the direction of the sun (yellow).

Why is it special?

JANUS captured this view on Nov. 6, 2025, just seven days after 3I/ATLAS made its closest approach to the sun. At the time, JUICE was about 41 million miles (66 million kilometers) away from the comet.

Throughout November, five of JUICE's instruments — JANUS, MAJIS, SWI, PEP and UVS — observed the cosmic wanderer, collecting images and spectrometry data to determine its composition and activity.

But because JUICE was on the opposite side of the sun from Earth during these observations, data had to be transmitted at a slower rate, delaying scientists' first glimpse of the results. The instrument teams had to wait until only last week to receive the data and are now working hard to analyze it all. They will come together in late March to discuss their findings.

Daisy Dobrijevic joined Space.com in February 2022 having previously worked for our sister publication All About Space magazine as a staff writer. Before joining us, Daisy completed an editorial internship with the BBC Sky at Night Magazine and worked at the National Space Centre in Leicester, U.K., where she enjoyed communicating space science to the public. In 2021, Daisy completed a PhD in plant physiology and also holds a Master's in Environmental Science, she is currently based in Nottingham, U.K. Daisy is passionate about all things space, with a penchant for solar activity and space weather. She has a strong interest in astrotourism and loves nothing more than a good northern lights chase!

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.