Don’t Miss the Spectacle: Watch Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Zoom Through Our Solar System Live Today!

There’s an intriguing new visitor from beyond our solar system: an interstellar comet named 3I/ATLAS. It’s only the third confirmed object of its kind, following ‘Oumuamua and comet 2I/Borisov. Discovered on July 1, 2025, by the ATLAS telescope in Chile, this comet has sparked excitement among astronomers.

The Minor Planet Center has officially labeled it 3I/ATLAS. What’s fascinating about this comet is that it’s showing early signs of activity. Reports indicate it has a faint coma and a short tail, which is typical for comets as they approach the sun.

If you want to catch a glimpse of 3I/ATLAS, you’re in luck! The Virtual Telescope Project has scheduled a live stream for July 3, starting at 6:00 PM EDT (2200 GMT). You can view it via their WebTV or their YouTube channel. Currently, 3I/ATLAS is about 670 million kilometers (416 million miles) away from the sun, making it quite faint at a magnitude of around 18.8. That’s too dim for most backyard telescopes.

However, as it nears perihelion (the closest point to the sun) on October 30, it’s expected to brighten. During this time, it will pass within 1.4 AU (130 million miles) of the sun, which is inside Mars’ orbit. Monitoring its brightness can give us insights into its composition and behavior.

The comet is racing through space at an impressive speed of 68 kilometers per second (152,000 mph) relative to the sun, but it poses no threat to Earth. After it goes behind the sun in late fall, astronomers expect it to reappear in early December, giving them another chance to study this unique cosmic phenomenon.

Interestingly, the discovery of interstellar objects like 3I/ATLAS has sparked a lot of discussions on social media. Many enthusiasts are sharing their excitement and predictions about what this comet might reveal about the universe. Some experts are even comparing this event to the past sightings of ‘Oumuamua, discussing the implications for our understanding of the solar system and beyond.

In a landscape where only a handful of interstellar visitors have been documented, 3I/ATLAS gives us a rare opportunity to learn more about the cosmic environment beyond our solar system. So, tune in and enjoy this celestial spectacle!

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