Comet 3I/ATLAS, only the third known visitor from beyond our Solar System , has been brightening far more rapidly than expected as it approaches perihelion, its closest point to the Sun.

From Earth, the comet has been positioned almost directly behind the Sun for the past month, making ground-based observations nearly impossible during this crucial period. Instead, astronomers have been watching from space-based observatories.

Enter an unlikely group of observers – solar-monitoring satellites.

Researchers Qicheng Zhang from Lowell Observatory and Karl Battams from the US Naval Research Laboratory realised that spacecraft designed to watch the Sun's corona could also track the comet during its near conjunction with our star.

Using instruments aboard STEREO-A, SOHO, and GOES-19, they

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