When 31/ATLAS passed near Mars, several NASA spacecraft captured some of the clearest views yet of its coma and tail. Later, the Hubble Space Telescope added high-resolution images as the comet approached Earth on its outbound leg.
“These observations show activity complex enough to challenge even seasoned comet researchers,” one mission scientist said in coverage of the images.
Additional details are emerging from recent reports, including a Live Science analysis noting that new telescope images show the comet growing brighter and greener as it travels.
Why NASA’s Planetary Defense Teams Are Paying Attention
For NASA’s planetary defense experts, 31/ATLAS is more than a scientific curiosity. Its acceleration is a stress test for the systems used to track potentially hazardous objects.
NASA’s Quick Facts emphasize that interstellar objects arrive without warning. If such an object can speed up and shift course after perihelion, models that assume gravity alone may underestimate future uncertainty.
