Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS just swung by the Sun—here's how to catch it
Comet 3I/ATLAS, a rare visitor from beyond our solar system, made its closest pass to the Sun on October 30, 2025, and is now heading out through the constellation Virgo.
If you're curious, you can watch it live online—the Virtual Telescope Project is streaming real-time views using telescopes located in Italy on November 17, 2025 at 11:15pm ET (which is 04:15 UTC on November 18).
The comet is pretty faint (magnitude +10.9), so you'll need at least an 8-inch telescope to spot it in the eastern sky before dawn.
NASA images and what makes this comet special
NASA will soon release high-res photos of ATLAS snapped by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's HiRISE camera—delayed a bit due to the government shutdown.
Scientists are excited because its dusty appearance and super-fast speed suggest it's been traveling between stars for billions of years.