Comets

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A white light of the comet 3I/ATLAS is surrounded by a blue glow against a black background

Latest Comet 3I/ATLAS news: Comet close approach today

By Tariq Malik, Daisy Dobrijevic, Anthony Wood last updated

Friday, Dec. 19, 2025: Your daily feed for the holiday flyby of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS by Earth.

Comets

Farewell, comet 3I/ATLAS! Interstellar visitor heads for the outer solar system after its closest approach to Earth

By Robert Lea published

3I/ATLAS has now made its closest approach to the sun and Earth and is now heading back out toward the outer solar system.

Comets
A series of four photos, one large one on the right and three stacked on the left showing various dots of comet 3I/ATLAS

How did interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS capture our imagination in 2025?

By Brett Tingley published

For one, it came down to timing.

Comets

What time will interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS be closest to Earth today?

By Daisy Dobrijevic last updated

NASA JPL pinpoints the moment the interstellar visitor passes closest to our planet.

Comets
graphic showing comet 3I/ATLAS on a laptop screen against a background of stars

Watch interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS make its closest approach to Earth in free livestream on Dec. 19 after rain delay

By Daisy Dobrijevic last updated

The livestream will now begin Friday at 11 p.m. EST, Dec. 19 (0400 GMT on Dec. 20), weather permitting, after rain prevented a broadcast on Thursday night.

Comets
A red glowing light surrounded by black edges with cracks of black throughout the image

Scientists detect X-ray glow from interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS extending 250,000 miles into space

By Samantha Mathewson published

A rare interstellar comet has been caught in X-rays by two space telescopes, revealing how its gases interact with charged particles from the sun as it travels through the inner solar system.

Comets

Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS makes its closest approach to Earth tonight: Here's what you need to know

By Daisy Dobrijevic last updated

The interstellar comet will pass safely by Earth, giving astronomers their best chance to study it up close.

Comets
Two photos with the one on the left of a man wearing a green long-sleeved shirt and the image on the right a pixelated picture of 3I/ATLAS as a ball of yellow light with green and blue light emanating from it outwards.

Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS wasn't supposed to be there — meet the astronomer who discovered it

By Kenna Hughes-Castleberry published

Dr. Larry Denneau of the University of Hawaii is nothing like your typical astronomer.

Comets
A bright star twinkles in a deep blue night sky

Could the Star of Bethlehem have actually been a comet?

By Keith Cooper published

The direction, distance and motion of the comet through the sky during its closest approach could have made it seem like it was hovering over Bethlehem when Jesus was said to have been born.

Comets
A white light of the comet 3I/ATLAS is surrounded by a blue glow against a black background

Why interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS' close Earth approach is an early Christmas gift for astronomers

By Darryl Seligman published

When 3I/ATLAS is closest to the Earth on Dec. 19, all the features that we are looking for will be easier to detect with our telescopes.

Comets
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