noirlab2532 — Photo Release
Community observing program Shadow the Scientists took the public on a second tour of the famous interstellar visitor with live observations from the Gemini North telescope control room in Hawai‘i
12 December 2025
Gemini North captured new images of Comet 3I/ATLAS after it reemerged from behind the Sun on its path out of the Solar System. The data were collected during a Shadow the Scientists session — a unique outreach initiative that invites students around the world to join researchers as they observe the Universe on the world’s most advanced telescopes.
On 26 November 2025, scientists used the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) on Gemini North at Maunakea in Hawai‘i to obtain images of the third-ever detected interstellar object, Comet 3I/ATLAS. The new observations reveal how the comet has changed after making its closest approach to the Sun. Gemini North is one half of the International Gemini Observatory, partly funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and operated by NSF NOIRLab.
After emerging from behind the Sun, 3I/ATLAS reappeared in the sky close to Zaniah, a triple-star system located in the constellation Virgo. These observations were taken as part of a public outreach initiative organized by NSF NOIRLab in collaboration with Shadow the Scientists, an initiative created to connect the public with scientists to engage in authentic scientific experiments, such as astronomy observing experiences on world-class telescopes [1]. The scientific program was led by Bryce Bolin, a research scientist from Eureka Scientific.
This image is composed of exposures taken through four filters — blue, green, orange, and red. As exposures are taken, the comet remains fixed in the center of the telescope’s field of view. However, the positions of the background stars change relative to the comet, causing them to appear as colorful streaks in the final image.
In earlier images of the comet, captured during a Shadow the Scientists session hosted at Gemini South in Chile, it appears to have a red hue. However, in the new image released today, it appears to have a faint greenish glow. This is due to light emitted by gases in the comet’s coma that are evaporating as the comet heats up, including diatomic carbon (C2), a highly reactive molecule of two carbon atoms that emits light at green wavelengths.
What remains unknown is how the comet will behave as it leaves the Sun’s vicinity and cools down. Many comets have a delayed reaction in experiencing the Sun’s heat due to the lag in time that it takes for heat to make its way through the interior of the comet. A delay can activate the evaporation of new chemicals or trigger a comet outburst. Gemini will continue to monitor the comet as it leaves the Solar System and detect changes in its gas composition and outburst behavior.
This collaboration with Shadow the Scientists builds on NOIRLab’s tradition of combining cutting-edge science with public engagement, ensuring that remarkable cosmic events are shared as widely as possible. By involving learners directly in observing sessions and data collection [2], programs like this one not only advance knowledge but also inspire the next generation of explorers.
“Sharing an observing experience in some of the best conditions available gives the public a truly front-row view of our interstellar visitor,” says Bolin. “Allowing the public to see what we do as astronomers and how we do it also helps demystify the scientific and data collection process, adding transparency to our study of this fascinating object.”
Notes
[1] The Shadow the Scientists initiative is made possible through the Creating Equity in STEAM (CrEST) program at the University of California, Santa Cruz, as well as support from the Heising-Simons Foundation.
[2] All data from the observing session are available for download from the Gemini Archive.
More information
NSF NOIRLab, the U.S. National Science Foundation center for ground-based optical-infrared astronomy, operates the International Gemini Observatory (a facility of NSF, NRC–Canada, ANID–Chile, MCTIC–Brazil, MINCyT–Argentina, and KASI–Republic of Korea), NSF Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), NSF Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), the Community Science and Data Center (CSDC), and NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory (in cooperation with DOE’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory). It is managed by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) under a cooperative agreement with NSF and is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona.
The scientific community is honored to have the opportunity to conduct astronomical research on I’oligam Du’ag (Kitt Peak) in Arizona, on Maunakea in Hawai‘i, and on Cerro Tololo and Cerro Pachón in Chile. We recognize and acknowledge the very significant cultural role and reverence of I’oligam Du’ag to the Tohono O’odham Nation, and Maunakea to the Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiians) community.
Contacts
Bryce Bolin
Research Scientist
Eureka Scientific, Inc
Email: bolin.astro@gmail.com
Josie Fenske
Public Information Officer
NSF NOIRLab
Email: josie.fenske@noirlab.edu
