The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Juice spacecraft captured images of Comet 3I/ATLAS in November 2025, revealing its coma and dual tails
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Why in news
The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Juice spacecraft captured images of Comet 3I/ATLAS in November 2025, revealing its coma and dual tails.
Background
The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) spacecraft used its navigation camera and five scientific instruments to observe Comet 3I/ATLAS. The observations identified a glowing halo of gas (coma) and two distinct tails, providing data on the comet's behavior in the inner Solar System.
Facts for Prelims
- S&TJuice: Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer is a spacecraft mission by the European Space Agency (ESA)
- FactComet 3I/ATLAS was observed by the Juice spacecraft in November 2025
- S&TComa: A glowing halo of gas surrounding a comet's nucleus
For Mains
Q. Discuss how deep-space exploration missions like ESA's Juice contribute to our understanding of the chemical evolution and formation of the Solar System.
Dimensions to cover in your answer
- Data acquisition: Utilizing multi-instrument navigation cameras to map volatile sublimation in cometary nuclei
- Scientific insight: Analyzing plasma and dust tail dynamics to model inner Solar System evolution
Keywords: Deep-space exploration · Cometary dynamics · Space instrumentation · Solar System evolution
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