A comparison between Halley’s Comet and 3I/ATLAS raises uncomfortable questions about resolution, transparency, and what the public is actually being shown.
The image is newer.
The technology is vastly superior.
Yet the object is harder to see than ever.
[USA HERALD] – NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope reobserved the interstellar comet known as 3I/ATLAS on Nov. 30, using its Wide Field Camera 3 ultraviolet–visible (UVIS) channel. The released image shows a diffuse, blue-tinted haze with a bright central condensation—scientifically labeled, carefully framed, and technically accurate. But when placed side by side with imagery of Halley’s Comet captured in 1986, the contrast is jarring.
Forty years ago, using far less advanced technology, humanity was given an image of a comet with sharp structure, visible nucleus detail, and unmistakable physical form. In 2025, with space-based observatories that dwarf their predecessors in sensitivity, resolution, and processing power, the public sees something far less defined.
