A NASA spacecraft observing the universe in infrared light has provided scientists with completely new information about comet 3I/ATLAS.

Discoveries in this comet include the presence of organic molecules, dramatic changes in brightness, and the detection of debris spilling into space from interstellar bodies.

The molecules discovered by 3I/ATLAS could be the basis for biological processes on Earth, but scientists say they can also be produced by non-biological processes.

3I/ATLAS final observation?

The last time to observe comet 3I/ATLAS up close is approaching.

of The comet was discovered on July 1, 2025 It has been passing through our solar system ever since.

This is an interstellar object, meaning it originated outside our solar system, somewhere else in the galaxy.

3I/ATLAS is one of only three interstellar objects ever discovered.

Since its discovery, it has been photographed by humanity’s best telescopes as it approaches the Sun and Earth. in a spaceship on mars and Mission to Jupiter.

SPHEREx meets interstellar visitor

The latest data on 3I/ATLAS comes from a NASA spacecraft scanning the sky in near-infrared light.

SPHEREx is designed to give astronomers deeper insight into deep space objects such as stars and galaxies, but it’s also aimed at interstellar comets to see what they can pick up.

These December 2025 observations follow previous observations. 3I/ATLAS SPHEREx observation in August 2025.

In these new observations, scientists say they detected organic molecules such as methanol, cyanide, and methane.

On Earth, such organic molecules indicate that biological processes are occurring, but they can also be produced by non-biological processes.

SPHEREx also found that the comet’s brightness increased sharply two months after its close approach to the Sun.

This is a common feature of comets that pass close to the Sun, as the sun’s energy causes these frozen, icy space rocks to release water, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide into space.

“After approaching the Sun, comet 3I/ATLAS really ejected into space in December 2025 and became noticeably brighter. Even water ice quickly sublimated to gas in interplanetary space,” said Carrie Risse, principal investigator at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland.

“And because comets are made up of about one-third of their volume as water ice, they were releasing a lot of new carbon-rich material that was trapped in subsurface ice.

“We are now observing the usual range of early solar system material that is typically ejected by comets, such as organic molecules, soot, and rock dust.”

3I/ATLAS is ejecting material into the solar system

Scientists say the delay between a comet’s approach to the sun and its ejection of material into space is a result of the time it takes for heat from the sun to travel deep into the comet.

This eruption creates a “coma” around the comet’s head, which is also a common feature of comets that pass close to the Sun.

During observations in August 2025, SPHEREx analysis of the coma revealed large amounts of carbon dioxide, small amounts of carbon monoxide, and some water.

Scientists say observations in December 2025 show a more active and diverse coma produced by groundwater ice mixed with other ice, organic matter, and rocky material.

“The comet likely traveled through interstellar space over many years, exposed to high-energy cosmic rays, and formed a crust that was processed by that radiation,” said Phil Korngut, a spacecraft scientist at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California.

“But now that the sun’s energy has had time to penetrate deep into the comet, the primordial ice beneath the surface is warming and erupting, releasing a cocktail of chemicals that haven’t been exposed to space for billions of years.”

SPHEREx also revealed evidence that rock fragments are being ejected into space by 3I/ATLAS.

Scientists say comets emit large particles or clumps of material that are too large to be pushed far away from the comet’s core by the sun’s energy.

SPHEREx’s short comet sojourn

SPHEREx is usually busy mapping the sky to help astronomers better understand the universe.

Released in March 2025 Its core mission is to understand the origin of the universe, the evolution of galaxies, and whether life exists elsewhere in the galaxy.

SPHEREx is creating an all-sky map of the universe that can be viewed in 102 different colors, each revealing space in a different wavelength of light.

“Our unique space telescope is collecting unprecedented data from across the universe,” says Yun-soo Bak, vice director of research at the Korea Institute of Astronomy and Space Science.

“But in this case, our galaxy delivered us a piece of a distant star system just a few months after launch, and SPHEREx was ready to observe it.

“Science is like that sometimes: you’re in the right place at the right time.”