Overview
- Closest approach is forecast for December 19 at roughly 270–274 million kilometers from Earth, on the far side of the Sun, and agencies say it poses no threat.
- NASA and ESA are coordinating a systemwide campaign that has captured images from Mars orbit and surface (MRO, MAVEN, Perseverance) and heliophysics missions (SOHO, STEREO, PUNCH), with additional views from Lucy, Psyche, Webb and SPHEREx.
- A team led by Josep Trigo‑Rodríguez reports evidence of cryovolcanic activity, suggesting volatile-rich eruptions as the comet nears the Sun.
- Preliminary estimates indicate an unusually large nucleus near 20 kilometers in diameter and an age that may exceed seven billion years, according to NOIRLab and Oxford researchers.
- Public debate continues after Avi Loeb highlighted anomalous features and U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna claimed NASA noted an unusual tail, while agencies maintain observation results are forthcoming and reiterate there is no risk.