"Hubble was one of the first to observe 3I/ATLAS in July shortly after it was discovered, providing the most detailed view of the comet's teardrop shape at the time. Astronomers spotted 3I/ATLAS with Hubble again on November 30, when it was 178 million miles (286 million kilometers) from Earth, and using the telescope's Wide Field Camera 3 instrument, captured an even clearer shot."
"Meanwhile, an image taken by the European Space Agency's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, or Juice, mission en route to study Jupiter and its icy moons, shows intriguing activity around the comet. Spotting two tails At the beginning of November, Juice was in a prime position to observe 3I/ATLAS from about 41 million miles (66 million kilometers) away from the comet."
Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS was discovered in July and is only the third interstellar object observed passing through the solar system. Hubble captured detailed images of the comet's teardrop shape in July and again on November 30 from 178 million miles away using its Wide Field Camera 3. ESA's JUICE spacecraft observed the comet from about 41 million miles in early November and recorded activity around the nucleus, including two tails. Outgassing during the comet's closest solar pass in October produced sublimated gases that provided clues to its composition. JUICE will send most data in February due to antenna constraints.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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