Here’s everything to know about 3I\/ATLAS’s impending rendezvous with Earth and how you might be able to witness it.<\/p>\n
December is the month that fans of the 3I\/ATLAS interstellar comet<\/a> have been waiting for.<\/p>\n In a matter of days, the strange space object that has become a cultural phenomenon<\/a> is due to get as close to Earth as it ever will.<\/p>\n If you’re a professional or amateur astronomer, that means it’ll be among your best opportunities to catch a glimpse of an ancient object<\/a> composed of planetary material\u00a0that formed from another star. And if you’re among those buying into the conspiracy theory that 3I\/ATLAS could be extraterrestrial technology<\/a>, that may be the day of the alien invasion \u2013 or something?<\/p>\n No, 3I\/ATLAS is not an incoming spaceship \u2013 at least, according to the consensus of astronomers and the world’s space agencies<\/a>. But it still isn’t very often that an object from outside Earth’s solar system finds its way into our cosmic neighborhood.<\/p>\n Here’s everything to know about 3I\/ATLAS<\/a>‘ impending rendezvous with Earth and how you might be able to witness it<\/a>.<\/p>\n What is 3I\/ATLAS?<\/p>\n An object known as 3I\/ATLAS<\/a> made news in July 2025 when it was confirmed to be the third-ever object discovered originating outside Earth’s solar system<\/a>. When it was spotted, 3I\/ATLAS was whizzing at about 137,000 miles per hour, according to NASA.<\/p>\n Observations of 3I\/ATLAS’ speed and trajectory<\/a> confirmed to astronomers that it formed in another star system and was ejected into interstellar space \u2013 the region between the stars, according to NASA<\/a>. For potentially billions of years, the comet has drifted on a journey from the general direction of the constellation Sagittarius in the center of the Milky Way<\/a> that recently brought it into our solar system.<\/p>\n Unlike comets bound to the sun’s gravity, 3I\/ATLAS is traveling on a hyperbolic orbit that will eventually carry it out of the solar system and back into interstellar space.<\/p>\n How big is 3I\/ATLAS?<\/p>\n Astronomers don\u2019t yet know exactly how big 3I\/ATLAS could be<\/a>, but estimates range from a few hundred feet to a few miles across, according to the European Space Agency<\/a>. Data returned from the Hubble Space Telescope<\/a> allowed astronomers to\u00a0estimate the size\u00a0of the comet\u2019s solid, icy nucleus as anywhere from about 1,400 feet to 3.5 miles wide.<\/p>\n Where is 3I\/ATLAS now? Interstellar comet approaches Earth<\/p>\n The comet 3I\/ATLAS, which is not a threat to Earth, is projected to pass within about 170 million miles of our planet on Dec. 19 \u2013 or about twice the distance between Earth and the sun.<\/p>\n The object also\u00a0came within 130 million miles of the sun<\/a>\u00a0on Oct. 30, just inside the orbit of Mars. For reference, the sun is about 93 million miles away from Earth.<\/p>\n Can I see 3I\/ATLAS from the ground? Where can I track its position?<\/p>\n Though 3I\/ATLAS is not visible to the naked eye, those with even a small telescope can observe the comet in the pre-dawn sky until spring 2026, according to NASA. The agency’s “Eyes on the Solar System<\/a>” online simulation shows the current location and path of 3I\/ATLAS as it moves through our solar system.<\/p>\n NASA releases photos of 3I\/ATLAS comet<\/p>\n NASA on Nov. 19 released a trove of never-before-seen images<\/a> of 3I\/ATLAS unveiling new characteristics of the object. The imagery came courtesy of the space agency’s fleet of space telescopes and other spacecraft that have spent months observing the comet.<\/p>\n A look at all of the photos NASA has released of 3I\/ATLAS since its July discovery, including detailed explanations of each, are available below:<\/p>\n Is 3I\/ATLAS an alien spaceship? NASA leaders reject conspiracy theory<\/p>\n The strange outsider’s jaunt through Earth’s cosmic neighborhood has sparked plenty of outlandish conspiracy theories regarding its nature.<\/p>\n One particularly infamous idea \u2013 put forth by a Harvard astrophysicist named Avi Loeb \u2013 is that 3I\/ATLAS\u00a0could be an alien spaceship<\/a>. Though Loeb has conceded on publishing platform Medium that the object is\u00a0“most likely a comet of natural origin<\/a>,” he has not ruled out the possibility that it could be extraterrestrial technology.<\/p>\n NASA officials, though, have attempted to put that notion to rest.<\/p>\n