Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS exhibits a bright, extended ion tail while releasing gas and dust as it travels through the inner solar system.
A stunning new image of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS (C/2025 N1 ATLAS) reveals the cosmic visitor's ion tail has grown dramatically longer and more structured — a sign of intensifying activity as it continues its journey through the inner solar system.
The image, captured by the Virtual Telescope Project at 11:31 p.m. EDT on Nov. 10 (0431 GMT on Nov. 11), is composed of 18 separate 120-second exposures, remotely taken by robotic telescopes located in Manciano, Italy. Despite the comet being just 14 degrees above the eastern horizon and a bright 61% moon shining about 70 degrees away, a sharply defined, luminous ion tail is seen.
"Exploiting the unusual good weather of this season, we imaged the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS (C/2025 N1 ATLAS) again, recording a much more developed ion tail," Gianluca Masi, Virtual Telescope Project founder and astronomer, said in a post sharing the new image. "Looking at the picture, we see how the ion tail of 3I/ATLAS is clearly showing better and better."
read more from source - https://www.space.com/stargazing/interstellar-comet-3i-atlass-tail-is-still-growing-new-image-shows
The image, captured by the Virtual Telescope Project at 11:31 p.m. EDT on Nov. 10 (0431 GMT on Nov. 11), is composed of 18 separate 120-second exposures, remotely taken by robotic telescopes located in Manciano, Italy. Despite the comet being just 14 degrees above the eastern horizon and a bright 61% moon shining about 70 degrees away, a sharply defined, luminous ion tail is seen.
"Exploiting the unusual good weather of this season, we imaged the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS (C/2025 N1 ATLAS) again, recording a much more developed ion tail," Gianluca Masi, Virtual Telescope Project founder and astronomer, said in a post sharing the new image. "Looking at the picture, we see how the ion tail of 3I/ATLAS is clearly showing better and better."
read more from source - https://www.space.com/stargazing/interstellar-comet-3i-atlass-tail-is-still-growing-new-image-shows
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