Astronomers have spotted a small comet entering our solar system and racing towards the Sun. The fun part is you may have the chance to watch its journey live and for free.
What is this comet?
The tiny comet was first observed by the NASA-funded Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) telescope, located in Rio Hurtado, Chile, on July 1.
Initially called C/2025 N1 (ATLAS) or A11pl3Z, the comet has since been renamed 3I/ATLAS by the Minor Planet Center (MPC). The “3I” is a marker indicating this comet as the third known interstellar object, after ‘Oumuamua in 2017, and the comet 2I/Borisov in 2019.
As per the MPC report, the comet has a marginal coma and a short three-inch tail, making it more difficult to observe. You have a chance to view this one, though, thanks to The Virtual Telescope Project .
The platform is using its technology allowing all to view the 3I/ATLAS live as it travels toward the Sun. This is accessible on The Virtual Telescope Project’s WebTV, YouTube channel. The livestream will begin at 3:30 am IST on July 4. It will show footage from telescopes in Mancino, Italy.
On July 2, using one of its robotic telescopes to track its motion, the Virtual Telescope Project was able to capture a photo of the comet. Due to the telescope’s movement, stars show movement trails as the comet looks like a stationary light.
The image of 3I/ATLAS released on July 2 (Image credit: Gianluca Masi, The Virtual Telescope Project)
3I/ATLAS’s status now
As per NASA, 3I/ATLAS is 4.5 astronomical units (converting to 670 million kilometres) away from the Sun, with a magnitude of 18.8. However, the comet is expected to get slightly brighter by around October 30, as it reaches perihelion, or its closest point to the Sun. This will be around 1.4 astronomical units (or 210 million kilometres) away from the Sun.
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The comet’s predicted path. (Image credit: The Virtual Telescope Project)
At the moment, the comet is currently moving at a speed of 68 kilometers per second relative to the Sun. While the 3I/ATLAS will temporarily disappear from view by mid-November as it travels behind the Sun, it is expected to reappear in view by early-December.
(This article has been curated by Purv Ashar, who is an intern with The Indian Express)
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