Hubble Space Telescope Captures Unusual Twin Jets From Interstellar Object 3I

Some users shared a fun experience with the Hubble Space Telescope and its observations of the interstellar object 3I → ATLAS. They marveled at the object’s unusual twin jets, which were captured by the telescope in December 2025. Useful features of the Hubble Space Telescope include: – its Wide Field Camera 3, which was used to take images of 3I → ATLAS – 170-second exposures optimized for faint detail – ability to track objects in space, like 3I → ATLAS, as it moves away from the Sun. The observations reveal a complex interplay of rotation, sunlight, and internal heat.

Data from the telescope indicate that the twin jets are persistent. This persistence supports that the jets are not just a fleeting phenomenon. The term “double-jet” describes the geometry seen in the images. Astronomers refer to this layout as a “double-jet” configuration. The alignment of the jets with the object’s spin changed after closest approach to the Sun. These results refine models of comet activity and interstellar material.

The object continues outward, into the vast expanse of interstellar space…