# Comet 3I/ATLAS reaches perihelion, begins solar transit

- Link: https://www.widthness.com/comet-3i-atlas-reaches-perihelion-begins-solar-transit/
- Published: 2025-10-31T09:30:00-05:00
- Author: Curated by John Wysocki

Image: This is a Hubble Space Telescope image of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. Hubble photographed the comet on July 21, 2025, when the comet was 277 million miles from Earth. Image credit: NASA, ESA, David Jewitt (UCLA); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI). Article by  Brooks Mendenhall. Astronomy – October 30, 2025. Key Takeaways Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS will reach perihelion, its closest approach to the Sun, on October 30, 2025, marking the climax of its brief, hyperbolic trajectory through our solar system before its permanent departure. A surprising detection of water vapor, identified by its hydroxyl byproduct, was made by NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory when the comet was at a distance from the Sun usually insufficient for such activity. […] Click here to view original web page at www.astronomy.com Curated by John Wysocki See Full Bio