The space agency got a close look at the interstellar visitor over the past few months as it zipped by Mars and the sun

NASA has released a long-awaited collection of new photos of comet 3I/ATLAS, the interstellar visitor that has been making headlines since its discovery in July.

Several NASA spacecraft snapped the images in September and October as the comet flew by Mars while approaching the sun. But the agency stayed quiet as its instruments captured the pictures during the 43-day government shutdown.

Now, we can finally see what these scientific machines were up to behind the scenes.

“We are so happy to have our incredible fleet of NASA science spacecraft all across the solar system,” Nicky Fox, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, said during a press conference on November 19. “Boy, were they ready for this event.”

Researchers first spotted the interstellar comet on July 1 thanks to the Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) in Chile. Visitors from beyond the solar system rarely have been spotted, and 3I/ATLAS is only the third known interstellar detected in the sun’s domain. Astronomers estimate that the comet’s rock-and-ice core is between 1,400 feet and 3.5 miles in diameter.

Three NASA spacecraft on or near Mars got the closest glimpses of the 3I/ATLAS when it zipped by the Red Planet, getting as close as 19 million miles in early October, per a statement from the agency.

One closeup was taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, a spacecraft searching for evidence of water on the planet. Meanwhile, the MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution) orbiter, which is investigating the Martian upper atmosphere, captured ultraviolet images of the comet that will allow researchers to better understand what it’s made of. Even the Perseverance rover saw the interstellar visitor.

Some spacecraft investigating the sun, including the STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) and PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere), also held photo ops during the comet’s closest approach to the sun in late October. The occasion marked the first time NASA heliophysics missions have purposefully studied an interstellar object, per the statement.

3I/ATLAS has been at the center of conspiracies during its time in the news, with some people suggesting that the object is some kind of alien technology. NASA strived to shut those rumors down at Wednesday’s press conference.

“This object is a comet," Amit Kshatriya, NASA associate administrator, said during the briefing. “It looks and behaves like a comet … and all evidence points to it being a comet. But this one came from outside the solar system, which makes it fascinating, exciting and scientifically very important.”

Other NASA spacecraft will be on the lookout for 3I/ATLAS in the coming weeks, allowing scientists to better understand the comet’s features and chemical makeup. The James Webb Space Telescope will also attempt to observe the interstellar visitor in December, per the press conference.

“Everyone that is in control of a telescope wants to look at it because it’s a fascinating and rare opportunity,” Shawn Domagal-Goldman, NASA’s acting astrophysics division director, said during the event.

The comet will fly closest to Earth around December 19, when it be about 170 million miles from our planet—nearly twice the distance between the Earth and Sun—according to NASA. The comet will pass by Jupiter in spring 2026, and soon after, it’ll leave our solar system for good.