Why is the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS shining in bright green and hiding its tail? This cosmic mystery has pulled scientists into a space detective story! New pictures from the Lowell Observatory show the comet glowing a strange green. This glow happens because sunlight’s ultraviolet rays break apart carbon molecules on the comet, making them shine green. It’s like a space light show! But what about the missing tail? At first glance, 3I/ATLAS looks like it took its tail and hid it away. That’s only because from where we stand on Earth, the comet's tail is lined up just behind it. Think of it like a shadow perfectly behind an object – it’s there but hard to see. A tiny glow on one side reveals the sneaky tail curving just out of plain sight. Qicheng Zhang, studying at Lowell Observatory, explains the green glow comes from diatomic carbon molecules tossed about by ultraviolet light. "It’s like how UV rays strike human skin," said Zhang. "In the comet, UV rays break molecules apart, and those bits shine green." This comet recently passed closest to the Sun (perihelion) on October 29, 2025, giving astronomers a golden chance to study it. The 3I/ATLAS comet isn’t just any space rock – it’s an interstellar visitor, meaning it came from outside our solar system! First spotted by NASA’s ATLAS telescope in Chile on July 1, 2025, it races through space at over 210,000 kilometers per hour. Scientists estimate it could be 3 billion years older than our solar system. It’s like a time capsule from the very early universe! But there’s more drama: NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory noticed 3I/ATLAS speeding up faster than gravity alone can explain. This unexpected push could mean it’s throwing off material like a tiny rocket, or maybe something even stranger is at work. Not to worry, though – NASA confirms that the comet poses absolutely no danger to Earth, passing safely at about 270 million kilometers away. If you want a peek, grab a 6-inch telescope just before sunrise in November or December to catch this glowing green traveler low in the eastern sky. From alien rumors to real science, 3I/ATLAS shows us the mysteries hidden in the heavens. It glows green with the magic of cosmic chemistry and hides its tail in a stellar game of hide-and-seek – a true jewel of the solar system’s grand journey!