![\"This](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/This-artists-view-shows-comet-41PTuttle\u2013Giacobini\u2013Kresak-releasing-material-as-it-warms-near-the-Sun.webp\")
This artist\u2019s view shows comet 41P\/Tuttle\u2013Giacobini\u2013Kres\u00e1k releasing material as it warms near the Sun. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Ralf Crawford (STScI)<\/p>\n
Later observations changed the picture again. According to Hubble data collected in December 2017, the comet\u2019s rotation period had dropped to about 14 hours, compared to the 46 to 60 hours measured earlier. Researchers interpret this as evidence that the small solar system body nearly stopped spinning before restarting in the opposite direction. As reported in The Astronomical Journal<\/a>, this is the first time such a reversal has been documented in a comet.<\/p>\n Outgassing Jets Driving The Change<\/p>\n The mechanism behind this shift is linked to jets of gas released from the icy body\u2019s surface. As sunlight heats the nucleus, frozen materials sublimate and escape into space, producing thrust. As explained by David Jewitt<\/a> of UCLA, these jets can act like small thrusters. <\/p>\n \u201cIf those jets are unevenly distributed, they can dramatically change how a comet, especially a small one, rotates.\u201d He added, \u201cIt\u2019s like pushing a merry-go-round. If it\u2019s turning in one direction, and then you push against that, you can slow it and reverse it.\u201d<\/p>\n Because 41P is relatively small, these forces have an outsized impact. Its weak gravity and low structural strength allow even modest jets to reshape its rotational state.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udea8\u201cA comet just did something scientists have NEVER seen before \ud83d\udc40\u2604\ufe0f<\/p>\n Using Hubble Space Telescope, researchers found comet 41P\/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kres\u00e1k actually slowed down\u2026 stopped\u2026 and reversed its spin \ud83d\ude33<\/p>\n This tiny comet is basically being pushed around by its own gas\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/XPXpq7Lwd6<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 3I\/ATLAS updates (@Defence12543) March 26, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n A Comet Changing On A Human Timescale<\/p>\n The study also pointed to a sharp decline in the comet\u2019s activity<\/a>. As stated by the research, 41P was highly active during its 2001 perihelion, yet by 2017 its gas production had dropped by about an order of magnitude. Scientists suggested that this decrease may result from the depletion of near surface volatiles or the accumulation of insulating dust. These changes can affect how material escapes from the nucleus and how forces are distributed across its surface.<\/p>\n \u201cModeling based on the measured torques and mass loss rates suggest that continued rotational changes could eventually lead to structural instability for comet 41P. If a comet spins too rapidly, centrifugal forces can overcome its weak gravity and strength, potentially causing fragmentation or even\u00a0disintegration,\u201d based on findings from NASA<\/a>.<\/p>\n Despite these rapid changes, 41P has likely occupied its current orbit for around 1,500 years, making this behavior unusually fast and observable within a human lifetime.<\/p>\n \t\t