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As the interstellar comet known as 3I/ATLAS prepares to make its celestial debut in just two days, both amateur photographers and astronomers are eagerly anticipating the chance to witness this rare cosmic event. The comet is expected to reach its closest proximity to Earth on December 19, offering a fleeting glimpse of its journey through the universe.
Despite the ongoing planetary defense exercises conducted by the NASA-supported International Asteroid Warning Network, there is no cause for alarm. ATLAS will safely pass by at a distance of 170 million miles, continuing its interstellar travels without posing any threat to our planet.
As it approaches, several organizations have successfully captured images of this extraordinary visitor. Notably, on November 30, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope provided a more detailed view of 3I/ATLAS. Utilizing its Wide Field Camera 3, Hubble managed to photograph the comet as it sped through our solar system, adding to the excitement surrounding this captivating event.
Thankfully, despite the NASA-backed International Asteroid Warning Network‘s ongoing planetary defense drill, ATLAS doesn’t pose a threat — it will pass within 170 million miles before continuing its voyage through the cosmos.
During its approach multiple organizations have managed to snap photos of the cosmic anomaly. On November 30, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captured a deeper look at interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, with its Wide Field Camera 3 instrument as it rocketed through the solar system.
The European Space Agency’s X-ray space observatory XMM-Newton observed 3I/ATLAS on 3 December 2025, catching it glowing red as gas molecules from the comet crashed into solar wind, BBC reported.
How to watch
Fortunately, stargazers don’t need access to state-of-the-art space tech to get a bead on this celestial snowball, which will be invisible to the naked eye.
“You don’t need a fancy big telescope that astronomers use for recording data,” Michigan State University astronomy professor Darryl Seligman told the Post.
Telescopes outfitted with an aperture of at least 30 cm will be able to clearly observe ATLAS in the predawn sky until 2026, according to NASA. However, slightly smaller scopes may still catch the comet as a fuzzy patch of light. Seligman said that amateur astronomers will want a “straightforward diffracting telescope,” adding that it’s also possible “if you have really powerful binoculars.”
“Then with your camera, you would want to go for a sensitive camera and potentially with a longer exposure,” the space expert told the Post. “However, you don’t want to expose for too long because ATLAS will move.”
That’s pretty impressive given that it will be more than 700 times the distance between the Earth and the moon on December 19.
“At this distance, skywatchers looking East to Northeast in the early pre-dawn morning could catch the comet right under Regulus, a star at the heart of the constellation Leo, the lion,” NASA writes.
In general, Seligman advised going “somewhere far away from light pollution.”
“One option is that there are designated dark sky areas, usually in some conjunction with the National Park Service,” he explained. “Those spots are amazing to do any stargazing, telescope viewing or astro photography.”
He added that there are also suitable dark spots in rural regions away from cities, observing that “the higher and drier it is, the better.”
“If you can find a dark sky area that also has a high peak that would be ideal,” he said, adding that it would behoove comet gawkers to check the weather forecast and go at a time when there aren’t too many clouds.
Space spectators who can’t find an ideal vantage point — such as in perennially light-polluted NYC — can still observe the phenomenon virtually via a livestream hosted by Gianluca Masi at the Virtual Telescope Project.
This skywatch party starts at 11 p.m. EST on December 18, beaming in real-time telescope shots of comet 3I/ATLAS snapped by its robotic observatories in Manciano, Italy, weather permitting.
