Fastest comet ever spotted will zip past the Sun soon
NASA's ATLAS survey recently spotted a new interstellar comet, 3I/ATLAS, zipping through our Solar System at a record 209214km per hour—the fastest we've ever seen.
First noticed on July 1, 2025, it'll swing closest to the Sun on October 29, but don't stress—it's not coming anywhere near Earth.
No risk of collision
3I/ATLAS will pass about 127 million miles (1.36 AU) from the Sun—just inside Mars's orbit—and stay at least 1.6 AU away from us.
Scientists say there's zero risk of a collision.
It was spotted during a blood moon eclipse
During the September 7 blood moon eclipse in Namibia, skywatchers captured its bright green glow—caused by sunlight making gasses around the comet light up as it heats up.
The dark skies made this rare sight even cooler.
How to spot it
You can catch the comet with a telescope until late September before it gets too close to the Sun to spot. It should reappear in early December after swinging behind the Sun.
NASA is using Hubble and Webb telescopes to learn more about its size and where it came from—the nucleus could be anywhere between about 1,000 feet and over three miles wide!