NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft has recorded important new observations of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS using its Southwest Research Institute-led Ultraviolet Spectrograph (UVS). In July, 3I/ATLAS became only the third confirmed object from another star system known to pass through our solar system. The UVS instrument observed the comet during a brief period when viewing from Mars and Earth was difficult or not possible.
“We’re excited that this opportunity to view another target on the way to Jupiter was completely unexpected,” said SwRI’s Dr. Kurt Retherford, the principal investigator for Europa-UVS. “Our observations have allowed for a unique and nuanced view of the comet.”
Europa Clipper launched in 2024 and is set to arrive in the Jovian system in 2030. Once there, it will orbit Jupiter and conduct 49 close flybys of its icy moon Europa. The UVS instrument is designed to capture ultraviolet light, which scientists use to study the makeup of Europa’s thin atmosphere and the materials on its frozen surface.
Timing that made the observations possible
Within days of the comet’s discovery, scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) calculated its path through the solar system. The Europa Clipper team soon realized that their spacecraft would be in a position to observe 3I/ATLAS in November. During that time, the comet’s location near the Sun limited what could be seen from Earth, and viewing conditions from Mars had already passed their most favorable window.
Europa Clipper was able to fill this observational gap, linking earlier Mars-based views from late September with later observations from Earth. Because the comet traveled along a path between Europa Clipper and the Sun, the spacecraft could observe it from an uncommon angle. This geometry is important because comets typically produce two distinct tails: a dust tail that trails behind the comet and a plasma tail that points away from the Sun.
Looking back at the comet’s twin tails
From its position closer to the Sun, Europa-UVS captured a downstream view of both tails. The instrument observed the comet largely from “behind” the tails, looking back toward the comet’s nucleus and its surrounding coma (cloud of gas surrounding it). At the same time, data from the SwRI-led UVS instrument aboard ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) will provide a more traditional anti-sunward view, allowing scientists to compare perspectives taken during the same period.
“We’re hopeful that this new view, along with observations from Earth-based assets and other spacecraft, will help us to piece together a more complete understanding of the tails’ geometries,” said SwRI’s Dr. Thomas Greathouse, co-deputy principal investigator of Europa-UVS.
Europa-UVS detected signatures of oxygen, hydrogen, and dust-related material. These measurements support other evidence showing that comet 3I/ATLAS experienced a phase of intense outgassing shortly after it made its closest pass by the Sun.
Clues to a comet from another star system
“Europa-UVS is particularly adept at measuring fundamental transitions from atoms and molecules,” Retherford said. “We can see gases come off the comet, and water molecules break apart into hydrogen and oxygen atoms.”
By measuring these atomic species in detail, Europa Clipper gives scientists a closer look at the physical and chemical processes shaping the comet and what it is made of.
“Understanding the composition of the comet and how readily these gases are emitted can give us a clearer view of the comet’s origin and how it may have evolved during transit from elsewhere in the galaxy to our solar system,” SwRI’s Dr. Tracy Becker, co-deputy principal investigator of Europa-UVS said. “What are the chemical processes at play, and how can we unravel the comet’s origin in its own star system? Were those processes similar to how we believe our solar system formed? Those are big questions.”
JPL manages the Europa Clipper mission for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington, D.C. The mission was developed in partnership with the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), in Laurel, Maryland.
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10 Comments
A large number of geometrically spaced dots are evident on the surface of 3i/atlas. The dots or specs or grains are dispersed in a non-geometric fashion elsewhere. Wayne from CT
Maybe like a message. You have to care about every grain of sand and every molecule. And also recognize your migratory patterns, your solar winds obviously are heat winds. Liquid mercury was I hear not used to take temps old school. Digital calibrations are off. Measurements are off. Seraphim and speed of light and mycelium networking and lately speed of light feels slow to me. All the particles, grains of sand, star dust with iron deposits and asteroids accounted for and unaccounted for, and all the magnets in comms and gps and then add metals conducive and maybe feels like your spinning. Ask my vertigo I feel it too. The push and pull, or negative and positive reactions and interactions and speed of light also has to bounce off all the particles and motes you can’t even see and then factor in the aether that physics I hear gave up on finding. I have a missing photo of it but some interesting light bending demonstration from a flock of geese that oddly adopted me and put me in their V at a beautiful park reminiscent of Ancient Greece and mock Eden. I can’t remember what spurned this entry from your question but some balance is needed like stat. Volcanoes waking in Iran. Sand where oceans and waterways and lushness of regions like Egypt. They used water and gravity knowledge and left pools of liquid mercury. Heiroglyphs like emojis. An eggplant has layered meanings too. It’s a freaking vegetable 🍆 and a sexual icon. I guess freaking vegetable is now more accurate. Poor eggplant that didn’t have consent for our despicable uses lol. Funny and ironic. Not really haha. They did physics experiments down there too. To show a story and a way which some chose to ignore and misinterpreted or hid the variables in a basement storage shed. Who knows why. And maybe that knowledge properly unburied as like NASA new Unified Web Project like a system I’ve been laying out for the kinda same thing. But theory is only theory still not held fact. If we don’t get this rebalance of our planet and ourselves correct then goodbye spinning on our axis. As it was, as it is now. So as above is below. 12.12.2012 could be a date from them before all this electro-magnetism that’s been accounted for as natural phenomenon and yet grossly under-measured and its impact to the crust shift displacement. All those cables and pipes and 5G frequency and vibration and the charging of a lot of unknown variables yet very known with the correct algorithm. But that’s a lot of shaking and moving on an unstable crust. Iron ores shifted more than you think. Was all that was created on top of natural deposits accounted for and you can’t even account for what an iron bench crafted by a Swedish Great Grandfather adds to sum of iron haphazardly also placed. GPS try Google maps in colorado mountains. A lot of turn arounds and recalculating routes. Alot of crystals too. Natural and unnatural. Then those cables charge and amplify that too which I’m just now thinking of.i didn’t account for those interactions just our dependency not needed and poor environmental considerations. It was 3Iatlas I now remember and the points described like a constellation map. Overuse of satellites thank to a certain star link and no mas navigation by the stars ever again on planet earth or anywhere in our galaxy really. I feel those effects may not be considered in the probability and then he becomes God. He controls your ideas of everything. What a monster. I hope I’m wrong. He’s got so much undo power is it because of all his money? Maybe his car flinging stunt of Tesla in space is in possibility and a Brief History of Time and it’s fabric like fluidity like a string theory and this string wonders if because of all you don’t know about space and that’s how you chose to treat it. Ok. That makes sense. So maybe, 3iAtlas is the warning that he’s screwing up and his Tesla (0-60mph in 2.6 seconds and then in an EV model?¿!¡ That’s not possible lol. Poor Tesla. What an Edison like thing for him to do. I don’t care if this costs me funding on climate change, volcanic disruption and alteration and possible domino of effect of eruptions but the man is a menace to all society until I can figure otherwise, too much money and on a 154iq and bad attitude – i have 1 now to) No I didnt correct my grammar maybe for a reason and maybe not. It does bother me. Ive been researching climate changes and how to balance. Certain bad ideas even in the effort of good, the road to hell is paved with good intentions or so they say. Overworked power grids and the lights go out in georgia and on AI. Whoops. What happens when Edison electrocutes an elephant. I’m still unhappy about it. And Tesla was once again placed on the name of incorrect physics and claims of 0-60. AI helped termed it Road Runner Theory. Best way to describe anything moving that quick and maintaining contact with surface is the Road Runner. I also took a video on my crappy phone on a fixed point in sky. Not that can you can see any stars anymore here so maybe it was ISS. Like the north star now that we can’t see hardly ever with the electric gods and their particle charging atmosphere. Point is, my natural hand shaking and the suspected video of incredible movement behind the sun or as it neared behind the sun, suspected or propaganda of such incredible on purpose movement. Also like the divers and dashes and possibility of telling its tale on its backside or topside if you will. I have an aerodynamics steering system would be capable of such steering precision, but in case of that video floating around, a simple natural hand shaking while holding the phone did the same flying video. It’s a shaky hand or shaky equipment taking video. Hopefully not magnetic based. My particle array system would be able to scan it effectively layer by layer. Particles not pixels. A Unified Web like my one idea of working title ORCA Truth Network that separates fact from fiction and misinformation. But not leaving anything out and reducing the variables knowing to account for Theory of Everything. Why a NASA Unified Web Project and true data access world wide and we can balance out all the wrong we’ve buried and built on top. What if we had a world like Jetson style.? No one sees what’s on the ground. A healing planet would be great. Ideal in fact. Heaven on Earth. Knowledge and best ideas for going forward. What we could learn without fear of death, poverty, no food, diseases that are needless. Solar winds are currents and I have an experiment for that. Could make space travel easier to navigate and experience. Currents and magnetic inductive materials and lack of information like the gravitational fluxations due to large amounts of iron and other draws. Magnets don’t help the situation and neither does space debris. Satellites for learning how not to do things. Rockets haphazardly broken off into space not caring the effects of littering. Fuels too heavy and combustible because the heart isn’t there in the design. And factors not taken into account. Euclidian measurements and geometry both sacred and created. Who knows what 3i/Atlas or anything else is saying, or not saying. Could be a coincidence.
Man, where’d you get that stuff. Hope it’s got an interesting name like ” cosmos creeper” or ” black hole blotter” or how about “big dope in the little Dipper”, possibly big tripper little dope. Tell us, you’re just exploding too.
From the REAL WORLD…
In this AGE of DISCLOSURE, its all there for you to find…
An open mind & an intelligence to consider ALL possibilities, despite the CENSORED POLITICIANS or EXPERTS calling it/you crazy…
Beautiful chaos
” . . . W . . . T . . . F . . . ?!?”
Ditto.
Ok, with the exception with that concern over the ejected space waste… I wouldn’t concern myself with any of that nonsensical garbage👍 Merry Christmas n sure looks like a much more prosperous New Year! 🎄
I don’t believe in coincidences!
What you just described with the picture of the flock of GEESE?
I believe I know why you mentioned it?
See, I just saw the flock…. well couldn’t actually see them? But, I could hear them as they made their way through the winter skies! As ODDLY ENOUGH as that seems, in the dead of winter and ask, when they were over head- spot lights shot up to the clouds. Looking like the bat sign; without the logo?
Searching for the geese!
As soon as they passed the lights stopped searching.
The only place they could’ve came from was a Coast Guard base or a old fort, fort Wadsworth 🤔?
The rest of the stuff you said…….
I happen to AGREE WITH YOU.
I pray 🙏 mankind can come to their senses, before it is too late?
Because, like you, I feel the pushing 🫸, I feel the pulling, I feel the spinning, I see the spiritual ✨️ warfare ripping through my homeland, America 🇺🇸.
And I’m ashamed, once again?
As ODDLY
Man, where’d you get that stuff. Hope it’s got an interesting name like ” cosmos creeper” or ” black hole blotter” or how about “big dope in the little Dipper”, possibly big tripper little dope. Tell us, you’re just exploding too.