Overview
- ESA’s XMM-Newton recorded low-energy X-ray emission on December 3, adding to Hubble, JWST, ALMA, JUICE and ground-based datasets characterizing the comet.
- NOIRLab’s Gemini images show a post-perihelion color shift from red to green, attributed to diatomic carbon (C2) emission in the coma.
- Teams report active jets, two distinct tails of dust and plasma, and a rhythmic brightness variation of about 16.16 hours linked to rotating active regions.
- The closest approach on Friday places the comet roughly 270 million kilometers from Earth on the far side of the Sun, offering a last favorable window for study before it recedes.
- Observers should expect a faint target near magnitude 10 best viewed before dawn toward the southeast near Virgo and Leo, while NASA and ESA dismiss artificial-origin claims despite discussion of anomalous measurements.