NASA’s TESS planet-hunting spacecraft recently captured a very different kind of space object: the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS.
inside Special observation run From January 15th to January 22nd, the Transit Exoplanet Survey Satellite (Tess) observed repeatedly Comet 3I/Atlas as it leaves us Solar system. With its wide field of view, TESS recorded the comet as a bright, fast point moving through a crowded star field with a faint tail.
Scientists like Muthukrishna hope to use this data set to study comet activity and rotation, clues that reveal how quickly dust and gas are ejected and how quickly the comet’s core rotates.
According to TESS measurements, the brightness of comet 3I/ATLAS was found to be about 11.5 inches. apparent sizewhich is roughly 100 times fainter than what is visible to the naked eye, can be accessed using the following method: telescope.
NASA’s Tess’s mission designed to find exoplanet through means of transportationa distant star dims slightly when a planet in that system passes in front of it. However, TESS’s wide field of view and consistent monitoring will also help detect and track closer objects such as comets and comets. asteroidover a long period of time.
This feature allowed astronomers to discover Comet 3I/ATLAS before they knew it existed. TESS happened to observe a phenomenon. Comet in May 2025, 2 months ago 3I/ATLAS has been discovered. By going back through all the data and combining multiple observations, astronomers can filter out interstellar visitors through noise and track their movements. Unfortunately, this doesn’t tell us the origin of the comet, but it does tell us other important details.
TESS observations for January are now publicly available. Space Telescope Mikulski Archive. During this precious time, astronomers may discover repeating patterns in brightness that reveal further secrets about our short-lived interstellar visitor.