Dr. Larry Denneau of the University of Hawaii is nothing like your typical astronomer.
The direction, distance and motion of the comet through the sky during its closest approach could have made it seem like it was hovering over Bethlehem when Jesus was said to have been born.
The interstellar comet will pass safely by Earth, giving astronomers their best chance to study it up close.
When 3I/ATLAS is closest to the Earth on Dec. 19, all the features that we are looking for will be easier to detect with our telescopes.
JUICE and the Hubble Space Telescope turned their gazes towards the interstellar visitor in November.
NASA imaged Comet C/2025 R2 (SWAN) every four minutes for nearly 40 days, marking the longest any comet has been tracked with such frequency.
"These images are not just pretty."
"This is a snapshot of where we are very early in the scientific process."
NASA has pointed its fleet of spacecraft at comet 3I/ATLAS to collect new footage of the interstellar invader. The agency has also said "all evidence points to it being a comet."
This is great news for planetary defense.