The interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS has experienced a significant decrease in brightness over the past few days—by approximately one-third. Previously, its magnitude was around 10.1, but now it has dropped to 10.6.
This indicates that for observers, the comet's brightness has diminished by approximately 37% compared to six days ago, according to the official channel of the Solar Astronomy Laboratory of the Russian Academy of Sciences. This change is peculiar, as during this period, the 3I/ATLAS comet moved 10 million kilometers closer to Earth.
However, astronomers believe that the decrease in brightness is mainly due to its increasing distance from the Sun. A comet’s brightness is associated with the reflection of sunlight, and as it moves farther from the Sun, the radiation it emits weakens.
Scientists speculate that this phenomenon may also be linked to internal processes within the comet—such as changes on its surface affecting its ability to reflect light. Nonetheless, the 3I/ATLAS comet remains one of the brightest comets currently visible in the sky.
Among the nearly 100 observable objects, it ranks fourth. The brightest comet remains C/2025 A6 (Lemmon), despite its brightness having decreased nearly tenfold over the past month.
New images of the comet 3I/ATLAS captured by astronomers and observatories reveal the unusual "torn" shape of its tail, which appears variable and irregular. The current intrigue lies in whether NASA will decide to point its Hubble and James Webb telescopes at the 3I/ATLAS comet again.
Previously, these telescopes had captured images of the comet, but at that time, it was farther from the Sun. Within 2–3 weeks, a safe window for observing the object will reopen, but NASA has yet to announce any plans for new observations.
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