Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS will soon be visible to the naked eye
A rare visitor, comet 3I/ATLAS, was spotted on July 1, 2025, by the ATLAS telescope in Rio Hurtado, Chile. It's only the third confirmed interstellar object to swing through our solar system, zipping along at nearly 220,000km/h.
NASA and ESA say it's a natural comet with a nucleus between 320 meters and 5.6km wide.
What is the comet made of?
3I/ATLAS is mostly made of carbon dioxide and water ice—meaning it likely formed over seven billion years ago in a far-off planetary system.
Its hyperbolic path proves it isn't sticking around; after its visit, it'll head back out into deep space.
When will it pass closest to Earth?
The comet will be closest to the Sun around October 29-30, 2025 (just inside Mars's orbit), then pass Jupiter's orbit in March 2026.
No worries about a collision—it'll stay at least 270 million km from Earth.
How are scientists studying it?
NASA and ESA are teaming up with telescopes like Hubble and James Webb, plus Mars rovers Perseverance and Curiosity (who tried snapping pics during its close pass on October 3).
These efforts help us learn more about what's out there beyond our own solar system.