The James Webb Telescope recently turned its gaze to a special visitor: an NASA Webb Telescope comet making a journey through our solar system. On the 6th of August, Webb employed its extremely powerful Near-Infrared Spectrum (NIRSpec) to look at the comet 3I/ATLAS providing new information regarding this mysterious visitor far beyond our solar system.

It was discovered on the 1st of July 2025, 2025, via the ATLAS survey in Chile 3I/ATLAS is the third interstellar object that has been confirmed discovered, after Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov. As 3I/ATLAS swings through the inner solar system, a cadre of observatories, including Webb, Hubble, and SPHEREx are all keeping a close eye on it to take full advantage of this fleeting opportunity.

The preliminary findings of Webb's observations are currently under review, and the preprint now made available to the scientific community for review. In addition to Webb, SPHEREx has contributed crucial insights from mid-August's imaging, which revealed a brilliant CO2 (CO2) Coma that encases the comet, as well as the presence of water ice inside its nucleus.

The interstellar comet observation multi-mission collaboration gives an in- depth look at the composition of the comet's chemical makeup as well as its physical structure. Through the use of various telescopes, researchers are aiming to produce the most complete profile of this fugitive astral guest.

Although the comet poses no trouble to Earth, 3I/ ATLAS offers an unknown chance to study the chemistry and origins of material in far- flung planetary systems. Researchers are hoping that the coordinated observations will help to understand the basic elements of space telescope findings and distant planet systems and increase our understanding of cosmic chemical chemistry.