Striking new image of 3I/ATLAS from Jupiter-bound spacecraft
- The interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS was photographed by the European Space Agency’s JUICE spacecraft. The new image shows filaments of gas and dust trailing behind the bright coma of the comet.
- JUICE obtained the image and other data in November 2025. But it was on the other side of the sun at the time, slowing down the transmission of the data back to Earth.
- Mission scientists are studying the large amount of data and will announce their first findings later in March.
JUICE’s new image of 3I/ATLAS
The European Space Agency (ESA) has released a new image of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS that the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) spacecraft took on its way to Jupiter. You can see a bright halo of gas – the coma – surrounding the much smaller nucleus (not visible in the image). Also, long and fainter rays, jets, streams and filaments of gas and dust stretch behind the coma. ESA said on February 26, 2026, that JUICE obtained the new image on November 6, 2025. This is the first time JUICE has gotten a glimpse of 3I/ATLAS, which is now on its way back out of the solar system.
Our first glimpse of comet 3I/ATLAS from Juice's science camera ???The precious data from the mission's November observations of the interstellar comet arrived on Earth last week. Teams are now digging in to discover what they reveal.Stay tuned for updates!More ? www.esa.int/ESA_Multimed…? ?
— ESA Space Science (@science.esa.int) 2026-02-27T09:02:28.064Z
Observing with multiple instruments
JUICE took the new image with its JANUS camera system on November 6, 2025. This was seven days after the comet was closest to the sun, and 41 million miles (66 million km) away from JUICE. JANUS is a multicolor optical camera designed to take high-resolution images of Jupiter and its icy moons.
Altogether, JANUS took over 120 images, in multiple wavelengths.
Through the rest of November, JUICE also used four other instruments to observe 3I/ATLAS, collecting a wealth of information about the interstellar visitor.
Time-lag to get new data
If JUICE took the image and other data last November, why are we just seeing it now? The answer is that in the months after the initial observations, JUICE was on the opposite side of the sun from Earth. So it had to use its smaller, medium-gain antenna to communicate instead of its primary, high-gain antenna. As a result, the data rate was slower than usual. Therefore, the mission team didn’t receive the data until the second-to-last week of February.
During that period, the spacecraft’s high-gain antenna was pointed toward the sun and used as a heat shield.
Analyzing the data
There is a lot of data from JUICE, and scientists have been eager to analyze it. The MAJIS and UVS teams are studying the spectrometry data. In addition, the SWI team is investigating data on the comet’s composition, and the PEP team is studying the particle data.
In late March, all the teams together will announce their first findings, ESA said.
3I/ATLAS’ closest approach to Earth
3I/ATLAS made its closest approach to Earth on December 19, 2025. It passed within 1.8 AU (168 million miles or 270 million km) of our planet, at about 130,000 miles per hour (210,000 kph). So maybe not close per se, but it’s close in terms of the overall size of the solar system.
3I/ATLAS is only the third-known visitor to enter our solar system. The third-known detected, that is. Astronomers think there are probably many more and we are just now getting better at finding them.
JUICE at Jupiter
JUICE launched on April 14, 2023, and will arrive at Jupiter in 2031. ESA said its primary goals are to:
… make detailed observations of the giant gas planet and its three large ocean-bearing moons – Ganymede, Callisto and Europa – with a suite of remote sensing, geophysical and in situ instruments.
JUICE completed its flyby of Venus on August 31, 2025. It used the planet’s gravity to help it reach the speed needed to reach Jupiter by 2031.
Find out more about the JUICE mission here.
Bottom line: The European Space Agency just released a new image of 3I/ATLAS – the famous interstellar comet – from its JUICE spacecraft. JUICE will reach Jupiter in 2031.
Read more: Interstellar object Comet 3I/ATLAS leaving the solar system
Read more: JUICE mission to Jupiter completes Venus flyby
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