.png)
2 months ago
8
ARTICLE AD BOX
Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is set to reach its closest point to the Sun on Wednesday (October 29), at around 11:47 Universal Time (UT), according to reporting by Universe Today. The comet will approach to about 1.36 astronomical units from the Sun — just beyond Earth’s orbital distance.
NASA, the US space agency, said the comet will swing just inside Mars’ orbit when it reaches perihelion — its closest point to the Sun — around October 30, 2025, at a distance of about 1.4 au (130 million miles, or 210 million kilometers).
Because it will be positioned almost directly opposite Earth on the far side of the Sun, scientists expect it will not become visible from Earth until sometime in November.
3I/ATLAS is only the third known visitor from beyond the solar system, identified as interstellar due to its hyperbolic orbit that will not loop back around the Sun. Tracing its trajectory backward shows the comet clearly originated from deep interstellar space.
29 Oct 2025, 07:59:50 PM IST
3I/ATLAS Interstellar Comet Live Tracker: No threat to Earth
NASA emphasized that 3I/ATLAS poses no danger to our planet. Its closest approach to Earth will be about 1.8 astronomical units away — roughly 170 million miles (270 million kilometers).
The US space agency said the comet will swing just inside Mars’ orbit when it reaches perihelion — its closest point to the Sun — around October 30, 2025, at a distance of about 1.4 au (130 million miles, or 210 million kilometers).
29 Oct 2025, 07:59:50 PM IST
3I/ATLAS Interstellar Comet Live Tracker: Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS set for its close approach to the Sun
Comet 3I/ATLAS, the third interstellar object ever detected passing through our solar system, is on course for its nearest approach to the Sun on October 30, according to NASA.
The comet has been confirmed as interstellar based on its hyperbolic trajectory — a path that shows it does not orbit the Sun and instead originates from beyond the solar system.
“When the orbit of 3I/ATLAS is traced into the past, the comet clearly originates from outside our solar system,” NASA said in its overview.
English (US) ·