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Credit & Copyright: Rolando Ligustri
Explanation:
Now outbound after its perihelion or closest approach to the Sun
on October 29,
Comet 3I/ATLAS
is only the third known interstellar object
to pass through our fair Solar System.
Its greenish coma and faint tails
are seen against a background of stars in the constellation Virgo in this
view from planet
Earth,
recorded with a small telescope on November 14.
But this interstellar interloper
is the subject of an on-going, unprecedented
Solar
System-wide observing campaign
involving spacecraft and space telescopes from Earth orbit to the surface of
Mars
and beyond.
And while the comet from another star-system has recently
grown brighter,
you'll still need a telescope if you want to
see
3I/ATLAS
from planet Earth.
It's now above the horizon in
November morning skies
and will make its closest approach to Earth, a comfortable
270 million kilometers distant, around December 19.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: comet
Publications with words: comet
See also:
- APOD: 2025 November 17 Á Comet Lemmons Wandering Tail
- APOD: 2025 September 30 Á Comet Lemmon Brightens
- APOD: 2025 September 29 Á Two Camera Comets in One Sky
- APOD: 2025 September 26 Á A SWAN an ATLAS and Mars
- APOD: 2025 September 18 Á Comet C/2025 R2 SWAN
- APOD: 2025 September 16 Á New Comet SWAN25B over Mexico
- APOD: 2025 July 7 Á Interstellar Comet 3I ATLAS