Free Astronomy Magazine March-April 2026

18 ASTRO PUBLISHING MARCH-APRIL 2026 O n 26 November 2025, scien- tists used the Gemini Multi- Object Spectrograph (GMOS) on Gemini North at Maunakea in Hawai’i to obtain images of the third-ever detected interstellar ob- ject, Comet 3I/ATLAS. The new ob- servations reveal how the comet has changed after making its closest ap- proach to the Sun. Gemini North is The greenish glow of Comet 3I /ATLAS by NOIRLab, Bryce Bolin, Josie Fenske 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 collab- oration with Shadow the Scientists, an initiative created to connect the public with scientists to engage in authentic scientific experiments, such as astronomy observing experi- ences on world-class telescopes. The scientific program was led by Bryce Bolin, a research scientist from Eu- reka Scientific. This image is com-