NASA's SPHEREx Mission Observes Comet 3I/ATLAS Erupting with Organic Molecules
NASA's SPHEREx mission has captured significant changes in the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, revealing a powerful outburst of gas, dust, and complex molecules. This event, observed in December 2025, occurred nearly two months after the comet's closest approach to the Sun. The findings, detailed in a research note, include the detection of organic molecules such as methanol, cyanide, and methane. These molecules, while building blocks of life on Earth, can also form through non-biological processes. The comet's activity, marked by a sharp increase in brightness, is linked to delayed sublimation, where subsurface ices warm and erupt into space. The observations suggest that deeply buried ices began sublimating weeks after the comet's perihelion, releasing carbon-rich material that had been locked in ice. 
