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Juice Mission Reveals Ancient Comet's Water Vapor Release

4/14/2026

Summary

Story summary

The European Space Agency's Juice mission observed interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as it approached the Sun in November 2025.
Discovered July 1, 2025, the comet is estimated to be over 7 billion years old.
Juice detected a water vapor release of about 2,000 kilograms per second, primarily from icy dust grains rather than the nucleus.
The observations improved trajectory predictions, offering insights into its formation and interstellar object properties.

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Story summary

The European Space Agency's Juice mission observed interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as it approached the Sun in November 2025.
Discovered July 1, 2025, the comet is estimated to be over 7 billion years old.
Juice detected a water vapor release of about 2,000 kilograms per second, primarily from icy dust grains rather than the nucleus.
The observations improved trajectory predictions, offering insights into its formation and interstellar object properties.