On Jan. 22, 2026 Hubble observed interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS nearly aligned with the Sun–Earth line, exposing unprecedented jet structures and an extended anti‑tail. Simultaneously a NASA exoplanet probe tracked the visitor to measure its spin and activity as it departs the inner solar system.
Discovered |
Briefing
Hubble’s Sun–Earth alignment revealed jets and an extended anti‑tail while the NASA probe’s spin measurement supplies complementary constraints on outgassing, rotation and mass‑loss—key inputs for nucleus and activity models used in follow‑up analysis. (coordinated observation campaign)
These observations add to spacecraft datasets gathered during the object’s passage, supplementing earlier measurements from Europa Clipper and trajectory refinements that tightened the comet’s predicted path—improving composition interpretation and mission planning for any future intercept attempts. (Europa Clipper observations) (trajectory tightening using TGO)
Reported By
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NASA’s SPHEREx Examines Comet 3I/ATLAS’s Coma • science.nasa.gov
Hubble Captures Rare Alignment of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS • news.ssbcrack.com
Space.com
• Kenna Hughes-Castleberry