Telescope reveals comet with growing tail is becoming more active

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Telescope observations reveal a growing tail on the comet that’s visiting from another star.

Released Thursday, the pictures taken by the Gemini South telescope in Chile late last month are the most detailed yet of the recently discovered comet.

They show a wide coma of dust and gas around the ice ball as it speeds toward the sun, and also a tail that’s more extended than it was in previous shots.

These new images confirm that the comet is becoming more active as it plows harmlessly through our solar system, according to the National Space Foundation’s NoirLab, which operates the telescope. It’s only the third known interstellar object to venture our way.

As of Thursday, the comet known as 3I-Atlas was 238 million miles (384 million kilometers) from Earth and growing ever nearer, according to NASA.

It will make its closest approach to the sun at the end of October and then pass closest to Earth in December from 167 million miles (269 million kilometers) away — farther from Earth than the sun.