NASA releases 3I/ATLAS open data May 22

NASA said on May 22 that it had released open data tied to interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, directing researchers to agency archives and download portals as astronomers continue studying the object. The agency’s Science account posted the update on X and linked users to NASA’s open-data infrastructure for immediate access. NASA has described 3I/ATLAS as the third known interstellar object detected passing through the solar system. The comet was first reported on July 1, 2025, after detection by the NASA-funded ATLAS survey telescope in Rio Hurtado, Chile. ### What exactly did NASA put into the open on May 22? NASA’s May 22 message pointed users to the agency’s open-science and data portals rather than announcing a single new spacecraft discovery. NASA’s Science Data Portal says it is the access point for the agency’s open scientific data and tools, while the Science Discovery Engine is designed to surface datasets, code, documentation and related resources across NASA science divisions. (science.nasa.gov) A NASA open-science feature on 3I/ATLAS says the comet’s data are being made available through multiple archives and mission pages. That page says TESS was the first NASA mission to capture the comet on camera in May 2025, before the object’s formal discovery was reported in July 2025. ### Why is 3I/ATLAS classified as interstellar? NASA says 3I/ATLAS is considered interstellar because of its speed and trajectory. (science.data.nasa.gov) The agency’s facts page says the comet follows a hyperbolic path, meaning it is moving too fast to remain bound to the Sun and is not on a closed orbit within the solar system. NASA’s comet overview says 3I/ATLAS is only the third known object from outside the solar system to be found passing through it. (science.nasa.gov) The agency says the comet’s characteristics, color, speed and direction are consistent with a comet, including an icy nucleus and a coma of gas and dust. ### Which NASA missions have observed it so far? NASA’s 3I/ATLAS overview page lists observations from Hubble, the James Webb Space Telescope, SPHEREx, Psyche, STEREO, Lucy, PUNCH and MAVEN. (science.nasa.gov) The agency says those observations were collected across 2025 as the comet moved through the inner solar system. NASA’s facts page says Hubble observations from Aug. 20, 2025, were used to estimate the nucleus diameter at between about 1,400 feet and 3.5 miles. (science.nasa.gov) The same page says the comet was traveling about 137,000 miles per hour when discovered and reached about 153,000 miles per hour at perihelion. ### What is the clearest example of downloadable research data? (science.nasa.gov) MAST, the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes, hosts a dedicated TESS-3I collection for 3I/ATLAS. The archive says TESS made dedicated observations of the comet between Jan. 15 and Jan. 22, 2026, and that the collection includes comet-centered image time series and aperture light curves. The TESS archive page says the released products include both 200-second cadence files and faster 20-second cadence files. (science.nasa.gov) It says version 2.0 contains the full Sector 1751 dataset, ending on Jan. 22, 2026, and points users to a tutorial repository for reading and analyzing the files. ### Where can astronomers and the public go next? NASA’s Science Data Portal says users can search across repositories through the Science Discovery Engine, while NASA’s 3I/ATLAS hub links to the comet’s observation timeline, image gallery and related mission pages. (archive.stsci.edu) NASA’s Small-Body Database lookup and Horizons services also provide object data and ephemerides for comets and asteroids. NASA’s 3I/ATLAS pages say observations from multiple missions remain available as the comet continues to be analyzed. (archive.stsci.edu) The agency’s open-data and archive pages are the named entry points for researchers downloading files and building follow-up studies. (science.nasa.gov) (science.data.nasa.gov)