European probe spots comet from another star system ejecting water into space
A visitor from outside our solar system is providing an unprecedented scientific spectacle for the astronomical community. The celestial body named 3I/ATLAS was recorded releasing colossal volumes of water into the space vacuum, reaching a daily mark equivalent to 70 Olympic swimming pools. This cosmic event gives researchers an unprecedented window to investigate the building blocks of alien worlds, formed around stars possibly much older than the Sun. It is the third object of proven interstellar origin to cross our neighborhood, succeeding the famous ‘Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov, which makes data collection an absolute priority for modern science.
European probe changes schedule to investigate celestial body
The historical record was not in the European Space Agency’s (ESA) original plans. The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE), which travels through deep space with the primary objective of investigating the oceanic moons of the largest planet in our system, needed to adjust its flight schedule to focus its sensors on the comet during the month of November 2025. To perform this detailed scan and capture the composition of the object, the ground control team activated two cutting-edge equipment attached to the spacecraft: the MAJIS imaging spectrometer and the JANUS high-resolution camera.
On the same topic: JUICE space probe records emission of two tons of water per second from interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS
The window of opportunity for this research came suddenly following the initial detection of the celestial body by ground-based telescopes on July 1, 2025. Squeezing this target into the spacecraft’s tight calibration schedule required complex engineering maneuvers, especially given the restricted viewing time and initially dim brightness of the distant visitor. Tracking a fast object with a hyperbolic trajectory required millimeter precision from the European mission’s navigation systems.
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The impact of solar heat on the surface of the distant visitor
As with icy bodies native to our cosmic backyard, 3I/ATLAS reacted violently to its closest approach to the Sun. The extreme heat radiated by our star reached the object’s frozen core, forcing the ice to skip the liquid phase and transform directly into gas. This physical sublimation mechanism generated an expansive cloud around the rocky core, drastically increasing the visibility of the target in the dark of space and creating the characteristic luminous trail that accompanies these cosmic travelers.
During this critical warming phase, the MAJIS instrument’s sensors captured unmistakable chemical signatures of carbon dioxide and water vapor, elements classified in astrophysics as volatile because they evaporate extremely easily. Giuseppe Piccioni, a researcher at the National Institute of Astrophysics (INAF), explained that these readings confirm the exposure of materials that had been trapped beneath the comet’s crust for eons. According to the scientist, the ejection rate reached the impressive mark of two tons of matter per second shortly after perihelion. He highlighted that this information is fundamental to deciphering the physical chemistry of planetary systems formed light years away.
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More on this story: European probe records large volume of water vapor on celestial body outside the Solar System
Data transmission and the structures revealed by images
The colossal distance between the spacecraft and the control centers on Earth imposed a test of patience on the researchers involved in the project. The raw information collected at the end of the previous year traveled through deep space in the form of radio waves and was only fully downloaded, decoded and processed on terrestrial servers in February 2026.
The principal investigator of the JANUS project, Pasquale Palumbo, highlighted that the long wait was amply rewarded by the quality of the material received. Space photographs recorded the celestial body’s peak activity with a clarity that will allow in-depth studies on the evolution of its luminosity over time. From these high-resolution images, scientists were able to map specific morphological characteristics of the interstellar visitor:
- The formation of a dense, expansive coma, which is the temporary atmosphere around the nucleus.
- The development of an elongated tail, driven by pressure from solar winds.
- The presence of directional jets of material ejected at very high speed into the vacuum.
- Complex structures shaped like glowing rays and filaments composed of cosmic dust and gas.
The Future of Exploration on Jupiter’s Ocean Moons
The absolute success of this improvised observation serves as a testament to the technical capacity of the equipment on board the European spacecraft. Palumbo assessed that the impeccable performance of the cameras and spectrometers during the 3I/ATLAS dynamic tracking ensures that the technology is ready for its true purpose. When the mission reaches Jupiter’s orbit in the next decade, these same instruments will be responsible for searching for signs of subsurface oceans and assessing habitability conditions on the frozen moons of Ganymede, Callisto and Europa.
Learn more: JUICE probe detects massive volume of water on interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS during passage
