NASA eyes 3I/ATLAS with alien-hunting Clipper spacecraft in new ultraviolet images
A NASA spacecraft designed to search for signs of extraterrestrial life has turned its lens toward comet 3I/ATLAS – but not for the reason you might think. The spaceship happened to be in the right place at the right time.
Traveling through the solar system at an estimated speed of 246,000 km/h, the alluring interstellar comet will reach its closest point to Earth tonight (December 18-19). At its closest, 3I/ATLAS will dive about 168 million miles (270 million kilometers) from our planet.
Meanwhile, the latest image from NASA – taken with the Europa Clipper spaceship — reduces the distance to 3I/ATLAS by a third. Taken on November 6 from a distance of about 102 million miles (164 million km), the new image is the result of seven hours of observations with the craft’s Europa Ultraviolet Spectrograph (Europa-UVS) instrument.
See the invisible
Human eyes cannot see UV light. But by dividing the observations into their constituent wavelengths and stacking them, NASA scientists provide an idea of what 3I/ATLAS would look like beyond the visible spectrum. (See also the James Webb Telescope infrared observations and XMM-Newton X-ray view.)
Clipper was in a prime location to observe 3I/ATLAS as both objects zoomed toward Jupiter; the fast interstellar comet comes closest to the gas giant in March 2026, while Clipper will not arrive there until April 2030.
When it reaches the Jovian district, Clipper will begin its mission to search for signs of extraterrestrial life. The spacecraft’s UV instruments will scan the surface and atmosphere of Europa – one of Jupiter’s giant ice-encrusted moons – and search for geysers carrying chemical clues on the moon’s interior. NASA models suggest an ocean of liquid water lies beneath Europa’s crust, which could contain extraterrestrial life.
An evolving mystery
But the Clipper isn’t looking for aliens in this case. (And there is no evidence that 3I/ATLAS is anything other than a natural comet.)
Using the same technology that will ultimately unlock the secrets of Jupiter’s moon, Clipper’s observations on 3I/ATLAS will be key to analyzing the elements bursting from the comet and forming the makeshift atmosphere, or coma, around it.
There is no spectroscopic data yet from Clipper’s new UV image, but NASA will share its findings as soon as they become available. We know from previous observations that 3I/ATLAS is ice rich in carbon dioxideand is release diatomic carbon (C2) gas which gives it the greenish glow observed in recent optical light images.
While we wait for more information, enjoy this rare close-up view of our solar system’s most famous alien visitor.
