In a matter of days, Comet 3I/ATLAS will reach its closest point to the Sun. The third known interstellar object will reach its peak of activity, releasing gases and dust like it might not have done in tens of millions of years, or maybe even longer. Comparison between this interstellar interloper and the previous two suggests that Comet 3I/ATLAS continues to be in a class of its own. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.

Using observations from July to September by the Nordic Optical Telescope in the Canary Islands, researchers David Jewitt and Jane Luu tracked changes in the comet in its trek across the Solar System. In a paper waiting for peer review, the scientists confirmed the presence of its intriguing anti-tail ,

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