3Ai Atlas Interstellar Comet Live Tracker: The interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is set to reach its perihelion — the closest point to the Sun — on October 30, 2025, marking the peak of its brightness and activity. At this stage, it will be approximately 1.35 astronomical units (about 125 million miles or 202 million kilometres) from the Sun.
This cosmic event holds immense importance for astronomers, as it offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study a visitor from beyond our solar system, helping scientists understand the composition and evolution of distant planetary systems.
3ai atlas interstellar comet live tracker Date And Time
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Date: October 30, 2025
Event: 3I/ATLAS reaches perihelion (closest approach to the Sun)
Time (Approx.): Around 14:00 UTC (7:30 PM IST), though visibility depends on location and telescope access
At perihelion, the comet will experience its brightest and most active phase, as sunlight triggers intense sublimation and gas release.
3ai/Atlas intersteller comet Live tracker Location and Visibility
During its perihelion, 3I/ATLAS will not be visible to the naked eye due to its position near the Sun and faint magnitude. It is currently hidden in the Sun’s glare, making observation from Earth extremely difficult.
The comet is expected to reappear in late November or early December 2025, when it moves away from the Sun’s direction. Even then, it will remain faint, visible only through high-powered telescopes or space observatories like the Hubble Space Telescope and James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
3ai/ Atlas intersteller comet Live tracker How and Where to Watch
Since ground-based observation is limited, the best way to track 3I/ATLAS is through NASA’s live tracking data and ESA’s mission updates.
Here’s how you can follow the comet’s journey:
NASA’s Eyes on the Solar System – A real-time simulation platform showing 3I/ATLAS’s orbit and current location.
ESA’s Space Situational Awareness Portal – For scientific updates and position tracking.
Space Observatories – Hubble and JWST will likely share images once the comet re-emerges post-November.
Astronomy Apps & Trackers – Apps like SkySafari, Stellarium, or Heavens Above may include its coordinates after it becomes visible again.
Why This Event Is Significant
When a comet approaches the Sun, rising temperatures cause surface ice to sublimate, creating a glowing coma and two distinct tails — a dust tail and an ion tail — both shaped by solar wind and radiation. These processes intensify during perihelion, producing the comet’s most stunning visual phase.
3I/ATLAS is unique because it is not gravitationally bound to our solar system. It’s a one-time visitor, making this the first and only chance to study it before it disappears forever into interstellar space.
NASA and ESA Missions Tracking the Comet
Although the comet is currently invisible from Earth, several spacecraft across the solar system are monitoring it closely:
NASA’s Mars Missions: Observed 3I/ATLAS during its closest approach to Mars on October 3, 2025, at just 0.19 AU (17.6 million miles).
NASA’s Psyche Mission: Tracking it while en route to a metal-rich asteroid.
NASA’s Lucy Mission: Monitoring while on its journey toward Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids.
ESA’s JUICE (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer): Well-positioned to observe, though data transmission is paused until February 2026 due to antenna shielding.
A Rare Glimpse into the Chemistry of Another Star System
Scientists are especially intrigued by 3I/ATLAS’s unusual chemical composition.
Preliminary data show high levels of carbon dioxide and nickel, unlike most comets in our solar system. These findings could reveal how different molecular clouds and star systems formed over seven billion years ago.
Researchers are also studying iron emissions, which remain low but may increase as the comet heats up. These insights will deepen our understanding of how interstellar bodies differ from solar system comets.
