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Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Makes Closest Earth Approach This December
3I/ATLAS offers astronomers a rare chance to study material from another star system, improving understanding of planet formation beyond our solar system.
- On Dec. 19, 3I/ATLAS will make its closest pass, coming within 167 million miles of Earth.
- Astronomers say 3I/ATLAS likely formed in a protoplanetary disk and was most likely ejected by a giant exoplanet, then traveled billions of years through the interstellar medium on a hyperbolic orbit.
- Space telescopes including JWST and Hubble have observed the comet, with Hubble re-observing it on Nov. 30, 2025, after its discovery by NASA's ATLAS in July.
- You'll be able to glimpse 3I/ATLAS with a small telescope or very powerful binoculars, and at closest approach, features and ice signatures will be easier to detect with telescopes.
- The encounter offers astronomers a rare comparison of planet formation, as findings that 3I/ATLAS formed much farther out could imply solar system uniqueness or common distant comet ejection.
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Associated Press News+29 Reposted by 29 other sources
Interstellar comet keeps its distance as it makes its closest approach to Earth
A stray comet from another star is swinging past Earth. Discovered over the summer, the comet known as 3I/Atlas will pass within 167 million miles of our planet on Friday.
·United States
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The network includes more than 80 observatories and amateur scientists from around the world who explore near-Earth asteroids and comets.
Interstellar comets like the latest, 3I/Atlas, originate from star systems elsewhere in the Milky Way, while domestic comets like Halley's originate from the icy fringes of the Solar System.
·Podgorica, Montenegro
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Total News Sources40
Leaning Left11Leaning Right4Center17Last UpdatedBias Distribution53% Center
Bias Distribution
- 53% of the sources are Center
53% Center
L 34%
C 53%
13%
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