The comet 3I/ATLAS, identified as an interstellar invader, is ejecting colossal amounts of water into space. Recent observations show it releases enough water vapor daily to fill around 70 Olympic swimming pools. This astonishing phenomenon provides scientists an opportunity to explore planetary formation elements around distant stars, potentially older than our sun.
JUICE Spacecraft’s Discoveries
The European Space Agency’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) made this groundbreaking discovery. Currently en route to Jupiter, JUICE observed 3I/ATLAS using its advanced instruments, MAJIS (Moons And Jupiter Imaging Spectrometer) and JANUS (Jovis, Amorum ac Natorum Undique Scrutator), during November 2025.
Details on 3I/ATLAS
3I/ATLAS is the third known object traversing our solar system from beyond its borders. The comet exhibited intense activity as it approached the sun, where solar radiation heated its icy nucleus. This led to sublimation, causing solid ice to transform into gas. The resulting gas ejected forms the comet’s characteristic coma and tail, making it brighter than anticipated.
- Observation Start: July 1, 2025
- Water Vapor Ejection: Up to 2 tons per second
- Daily Water Output: Equivalent to 70 Olympic swimming pools
- Data Collection Completion: February 2026
Significance of Findings
The observations made by MAJIS indicated the presence of volatile compounds such as water vapor and carbon dioxide. Giuseppe Piccioni from the National Institute for Astrophysics noted that repeated detection of these substances suggests volatile ices were released shortly after the comet’s perihelion passage.
After intense observation challenges due to the faint emissions and JUICE’s limited viewing time, the team expressed excitement about the findings. Pasquale Palumbo, principal investigator of JANUS, highlighted the successful imaging of 3I/ATLAS’s extended coma, tail, and unique physical structures such as jets and filaments.
Future Implications
The data garnered from 3I/ATLAS will enable researchers to study the comet’s morphological features and the evolution of its coma and tail over various timescales. This research paves the way for a deeper understanding of the physical and chemical properties of materials formed around stars billions of years ago, enhancing our knowledge of cosmic evolution.
As JUICE prepares for its main mission at Jupiter and its icy moons, the preliminary insights gained from 3I/ATLAS demonstrate the spacecraft’s potential for future astronomical discoveries.
