The interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is emitting a dramatic jet of ice and dust toward the sun as it approaches its closest point to the star on October 30.

The jet, captured in a composite image from Teide Observatory in the Canary Islands, extends up to 6,200 miles from the comet’s nucleus and is composed of carbon dioxide and dust particles.

This behavior, typical of comets, occurs when sun-facing areas heat unevenly, causing sublimated gases to burst through weaker surface regions, Space.com has reported.

As the comet rotates, some material remains in the coma while the rest forms the tail under solar wind pressure, similar to what was observed with comet NEOWISE in 2020.