3I/ATLAS: NASA To Reveal New Comet Images From Spacecraft, Telescopes: Date, Time And How to Watch

NASA plans to host a live event on Wednesday to share new images of the rare interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. The visuals will come from several NASA missions and the briefing will take place at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

The event is scheduled for 3 p.m. EST on Wednesday (1:30 a.m. IST on Thursday), the US space agency said in a new blog.

Comet 3I/ATLAS was discovered on July 1 by the NASA-funded ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System). It is only the third known object to enter our solar system from deep space. According to NASA, the comet is not a danger to Earth and will stay about 170 million miles away. In early October, it passed within 19 million miles of Mars.

Viewers can watch the event on the social media platforms of NASA and its official YouTube channel.

“The event will air on NASA+, the NASA app, the agency’s website and YouTube channel and Amazon Prime,” the agency added.

Comet 3I/ATLAS is the third confirmed object to enter our solar system from interstellar space. NASA explained that astronomers identified it as interstellar because its orbit is hyperbolic, which means that it does not loop around the Sun. 

“When the orbit of 3I/ATLAS is traced into the past, the comet clearly originates from outside our solar system,” the space agency explained.

The comet will not come close to Earth and poses no danger. Its nearest approach will be about 1.8 astronomical units, or roughly 170 million miles. Comet 3I/ATLAS reached its closest point to the Sun on Oct. 30, 2025. At that moment, it passed about 1.4 astronomical units from the Sun, placing it just inside Mars’ orbital path. 

“3I/ATLAS should remain visible to ground-based telescopes through September 2025, after which it will pass too close to the Sun to observe. It will reappear on the other side of the Sun by early December 2025, allowing for renewed observations,” NASA said.