Comet 3I/ATLAS, a mysterious object from another star system, has been imaged by three of NASA’s Mars spacecraft in October 2025. The comet passed close to the Sun from Earth’s perspective, allowing scientists to study it while it was observable.
The spacecraft captured images of 3I/ATLAS using different instruments, including the Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph on MAVEN and the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Even NASA’s Perseverance rover, on the Martian surface, took a glimpse of the comet as it flew by.
The images show the comet’s fuzzy coma, a cloud of dust and gas released as it gets closer to the Sun. Scientists are now analyzing the data to estimate the size of the comet’s nucleus and pinpoint the color and size of particles within the coma.
This rare event provides new insights into interstellar objects and their composition, helping scientists better understand our place in the universe.
Source: https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news/nasa-mars-images-comet-3i-atlas