SPHEREx Captures Dramatic Outburst of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS

NASA's SPHEREx telescope has made a significant discovery by capturing a dramatic outburst from the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS following its close encounter with the Sun in October 2025. Observations conducted in December revealed that the comet was ejecting a variety of substances, including water vapor, carbon dioxide, methanol, methane, and cyanide, from its nucleus. These findings indicate that the comet likely formed in a warmer environment beyond our solar system. The detection of such materials offers researchers valuable insights into the chemical composition and thermal history of celestial bodies formed around distant star systems. This event emphasizes the importance of missions like SPHEREx in expanding our understanding of interstellar objects and their origins, highlighting the potential for future studies to reveal more about the universe's diverse environments and the processes that shape them.