NASA is conducting an observation campaign of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, using 12 instruments to analyze its behavior and composition.

NASA is in the midst of a campaign to observe the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, the third known object of this type in the solar system. Since its discovery on July 1, 12 NASA instruments, including the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Lucy mission, have captured images of the comet. NASA's associate administrator, Amit Kshatriya, emphasized that the object behaves like a comet. Observations from various locations allow scientists to compare 3I/ATLAS with comets from our solar system.

Images obtained from spacecraft on Mars and from heliophysics missions have provided unique insights into the comet, including observations from near the Sun. Additionally, the Psyche and Lucy spacecraft have made detailed observations of the comet during their journeys. The comet 3I/ATLAS will pass closest to Earth on December 19, at a distance of 170 million miles, and NASA will continue to observe it throughout its journey through the solar system.