Fri Dec 19 10:10:00 UTC 2025: Here’s a summary of the text and a rewritten version as a news article:
Summary:
NASA missions, including the Europa Clipper, are observing the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as it passes through our solar system on a one-time visit. The Europa Clipper’s Europa Ultraviolet Spectrograph (Europa-UVS) instrument collected data on November 6th to analyze the comet’s coma composition. While primarily designed to study Jupiter’s moon Europa, the instrument is being cleverly used to gather valuable information about this rare interstellar visitor before it leaves our solar system permanently. This observation supports NASA’s broader mission of tracking and understanding objects in our solar system, even those originating from beyond.
News Article:
NASA Missions Unite to Observe Rare Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS
WASHINGTON – In a rare opportunity, NASA missions are collaborating to study interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as it makes a fleeting pass through our solar system. Discovered in 2025, this celestial visitor comes from outside our solar system and will eventually return to the depths of space. NASA is leveraging its advanced instruments to glean as much information as possible before it disappears.
The Europa Clipper spacecraft, en route to Jupiter’s moon Europa, played a significant role in these observations. On November 6th, the spacecraft’s Europa Ultraviolet Spectrograph (Europa-UVS) instrument, designed to study Europa’s atmosphere, was repurposed to analyze the coma, the cloud of gas and dust surrounding the comet’s nucleus, from a distance of 102 million miles.
“The data gathered by Europa-UVS will allow scientists to determine the composition and distribution of elements within the comet’s coma,” NASA officials stated. The instrument works by analyzing ultraviolet light, separating it into wavelengths that reveal the chemical makeup of celestial objects.
Although 3I/ATLAS poses no threat to Earth, the observations align with NASA’s ongoing mission to identify, track, and understand objects within and traversing our solar system.
Launched in October 2024, Europa Clipper will reach Jupiter in April 2030. While its primary objective is to investigate Europa, a moon believed to harbor a subsurface ocean potentially suitable for life, this opportunistic observation of 3I/ATLAS demonstrates the versatility and ingenuity of NASA’s science teams. It also highlights the agency’s commitment to maximizing scientific return from its missions whenever possible.
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