We just released our newest images of an interstellar comet. Here's what you need to know. 3I/ATLAS, first discovered in July, is only the third object we've ever seen passing through our solar system from elsewhere in the galaxy. Its trajectory will take it no closer than 170 million miles from Earth—almost twice the distance between Earth and the Sun. Every observation our spacecraft and telescopes have made is consistent with 3I/ATLAS being a comet. Interstellar objects give us a unique opportunity to learn more about what solar systems beyond ours are made of, so astronomers have been keeping a close eye on comet 3I/ATLAS on its arc around our Sun. Though releasing data from our spacecraft was not an excepted activity during the recent lapse in government funding, we've still been studying the comet from our Lucy mission en route to the asteroid belt, our Sun-watching PUNCH satellites in low Earth orbit, and even our Perseverance rover on Mars! The first image in this carousel w...