Archive · 1 Nov 2025
Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Nears Solar Close Approach
Imagine a visitor from a faraway star system coming to our solar neighborhood.
This visitor is a comet called 3I/ATLAS, and it's only the third one we know of from another star.
It's traveling so fast that our Sun can't keep it here; it will zoom past and leave forever.
Today, October 29, is when it will get closest to the Sun, but not super close, about 200 million kilometers away.
After this, around November 11, we might be able to see it in the morning sky, but you'll need a big telescope to spot it because it won't be bright enough for our eyes to see.
Comet 3I/ATLAS is the third confirmed interstellar object detected by NASA.
It follows a hyperbolic trajectory, indicating it is not bound to our Sun.
The comet's closest approach to the Sun (perihelion) is on October 29 at 1.36 AU.
3I/ATLAS will be visible in the eastern sky before dawn around November 11.
Observation after perihelion will require large telescopes due to its expected faintness.
- Who
- Astronomers, NASA
- What
- Comet 3I/ATLAS, the third confirmed interstellar visitor, is making its closest pass to the Sun.
- When
- October 29, approximately 11:47 UT for perihelion; visible again around November 11.
- Where
- Passing through our solar system, reaching perihelion at 1.36 AU from the Sun.
- Why
- The comet is on a hyperbolic trajectory, meaning it is not bound to our Sun and will exit the solar system.
Existing Information
New Information
Perihelion Time
Existing Information
Comet 3I/ATLAS is scheduled to make its closest pass to the Sun (perihelion) today, on October 29.
New Information
3I/ATLAS is expected to make its closest approach to the Sun (perihelion) at approximately 11:47 UT.
- Object Designation
- 3I/ATLAS
- Object Type
- Interstellar Comet
- Trajectory
- Hyperbolic, not gravitationally bound to the Sun
- Perihelion Date/Time
- October 29, approximately 11:47 UT
- Perihelion Distance
- 1.36 AU (over 200 million km)
- Visibility After Perihelion
- Around November 11, in the eastern sky before dawn
- Naked Eye Visibility
- Not expected
Sources
8-13-8-5-13-8: 3I/ATLAS Sends Mysterious Pulse Sequence, Here’s What The Code Really Means
Comet 3I/ATLAS Live Tracker: Latest Updates on Location, Visibility, Live Streaming, Date, Time, and Sky Map
Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS rapidly brightened as it zoomed behind Sun, 'it's bluer than our star,' reveals new study
3I/ATLAS did the unthinkable near Sun, with a mysterious move - 'Technological signature of an internal engine?'