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Helio Highlight: December 2025

At the center of the image is a comet that appears as a teardrop-shaped bluish cocoon of dust coming off the comet’s solid, icy nucleus and seen against a black background. The comet appears to be heading to the bottom left corner of the image. About a dozen short, light blue diagonal streaks are seen scattered across the image, which are from background stars that appeared to move during the exposure because the telescope was tracking the moving comet.
Hubble captured this image of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS on July 21, 2025, when the comet was 277 million miles from Earth. Hubble shows that the comet has a teardrop-shaped cocoon of dust coming off its solid, icy nucleus.
Levels
  • Intermediate (6-8)
  • Advanced (9-12+)
Material Type
  • Article/Informative Text
Heliophysics Big Ideas
  • Big Idea 1.1 – The Sun is really big…
  • Big Idea 1.2 – The Sun is active…
  • Big Idea 2.2 – The Sun defines the space…
NGSS
  • ESS1 - Earth's Place in the Universe
  • PS1 - Matter and its Interactions
  • PS2 - Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions
  • PS3 - Energy
Heliophysics Topics
  • Energy
  • Heliosphere
  • Interstellar Space
  • Solar System
  • Solar Wind
Heliophysics Missions
  • Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)
Related Missions
  • Hubble Space Telescope (Astro)
Material Cost per Learner Free
Language English

Comets are icy bodies which swing through the solar system on long, highly elliptical orbits. Aside from being amazing to view, comet tails are also an important part of the way we study the Sun, including its magnetic field and the effects of the solar wind. This article shows how studying comets can teach us more about the Sun and Space Weather and is connected to educational resources that help K-12+ teachers explain solar wind and space science concepts in simple, engaging ways for students.

Find the article here ↗