Scientists capture interstellar invader comet 3I/ATLAS growing a tail: ‘This image is both a scientific milestone and a source of wonder’

Astronomers have captured a stunning image of a tail growing on interstellar invader Comet 3I/ATLAS. The image was captured on Aug. 27, 2025, by a team of scientists and students using the Gemini South telescope located on Cerro Pachón in Chile.

Discovered on July 1 by the ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System), 3I/ATLAS is just the third-ever object found drifting through our solar system that is believed to have originated from around another star. The previous two interstellar intruders were the cigar-shaped ‘Oumuamua (officially designated 1I/2017 U1), discovered drifting through the solar system in 2017, and the comet/asteroid hybrid 2I/Borisov discovered two years later in 2019.

All of these objects offer scientists a unique opportunity to study material from another planetary system, and the growing tail of 3I/ATLAS is a tantalizing glimpse at the material that lies within this comet. But this opportunity is limited; as happened with ‘Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov, 3I/ATLAS’ orbit will eventually carry out of the solar system.