NASA spacecraft reveal interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS brightened rapidly as it swooped behind the sun

Researchers and amateur astronomer Worachate Boonplod kept track of 3I/ATLAS using GOES-19 weather satellite data. (Image credit: Image: CCOR-1/GOES-19/NOAA. Processed and annotated by Worachate Boonplod.)

Comet 3I/ATLAS is rapidly brightening as it swings behind the sun, spacecraft observations have revealed.

The comet has been flying around the sun, obscuring it from Earth’s view, to reach perihelion (its closest point to our star) on Thursday (Oct. 29).