3I/Atlas tracker: When will the comet be closest to Earth? How big is it? Date and time here
Posted on: Oct 30, 2025 04:40 IST | Posted by: Hindustantimes
The interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS (C/2025 N1) is hurtling through the solar system. This rare visitor, only the third confirmed interstellar object after 'Oumuamua (2017) and Borisov (2019), is captivating astronomers with its hyperbolic trajectory and unusual chemical patterns.
The comet reached its closest point to the Sun on Wednesday. The comet approached about 1.36 astronomical units from the Sun.
3I/ATLAS reached perihelion (closest to the Sun) on October 29, 2025, at 11:47. Its closest approach to Earth is December 19, 2025, at 1.8 AU (170 million miles or 270 million km).
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The comet is currently outbound, visible in the Northern Hemisphere with a small telescope (magnitude 12-14), and will reappear post-solar conjunction by late November.
Hubble Space Telescope images from July 21 reveal 3I/ATLAS has a coma (glowing envelope) of 2-10 arcseconds, with the nucleus estimated at 440 meters (1,444 feet) to 5.6 km (3.5 miles) in diameter. It's a "dirty snowball" of ice, dust, and rock, emitting cyanide gas and nickel vapor.
Read More: NASA withheld info on 3I/ATLAS; Harvard scientist makes big claim on Manhattan-sized comet
Absolutely. 3I/ATLAS poses no threat. Its closest Earth pass (1.8 AU) is safer than Mars' orbit, far beyond collision risk. NASA and ESA confirmed it's on a hyperbolic path, unbound to our Sun, and will exit the solar system post-perihelion.
Throughout November, ESA's Juice spacecraft, which is headed to Jupiter and its icy moons, will keep an eye on the comet. The comet will make its closest approach to Earth in December, passing within 167 million miles (269 million kilometers). Observations by the Hubble Space Telescope put the comet's nucleus at no more than 3.5 miles (5.6 kilometers) across. It could be as small as 1,444 feet (440 meters), according to NASA.
(With inputs from the Associated Press)
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