Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS To Make Its Closest Approach to Earth on December 19: Is It Dangerous? Will It Be Visible to the Naked Eye?
On December 19, 2025, interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS reaches its closest point to Earth, passing at a safe distance of 168 million miles. NASA confirms the visitor poses no threat, as it stays nearly twice the distance of the Sun. Astronomers discovered the object on July 1, 2025, using the NASA-funded Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) in Chile.
Mumbai, December 18: A rare visitor from another star system, interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, is set to reach its closest point to Earth on Friday, December 19, 2025. This flyby provides astronomers with a final, high-resolution window to study the third known interstellar object to enter our solar system. Traveling at approximately 130,000 miles per hour, the comet is making a one-time pass through our celestial neighborhood before exiting into deep space forever.
Despite the "close approach" terminology, 3I/ATLAS poses no threat to our planet. At its nearest point, the comet will remain roughly 168 million miles (270 million kilometers) away from Earth—nearly twice the distance between the Earth and the Sun. This puts it safely within the asteroid belt, well beyond the orbit of Mars.
Astronomers discovered the object on July 1, 2025, using the NASA-funded Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) in Chile. It follows the 2017 discovery of 1I/‘Oumuamua and the 2019 detection of 2I/Borisov, making it the third "interstellar interloper" confirmed by the global scientific community. Is 3I/ATLAS Interstellar Comet Heading Towards Earth? Did Harvard Professor Avi Loeb Ask People To Take Vacation Before October 29, Suggesting Imminent Threat? Fact Check Debunks Misleading Claims.
Will Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Be Visible in India and Other Parts of the World?
While 3I/ATLAS is not visible to the naked eye, it remains a prime target for amateur astronomers. On the night of December 19, the comet will be positioned in the constellation Leo. Under dark skies, observers with a telescope of 8 inches or larger may be able to spot it as a faint, fuzzy patch of light.
As the comet recedes from the Sun, it will continue to slow down, eventually beginning a journey of millions of years back into the darkness of interstellar space. Alien Spacecraft or Cosmic Mystery? Harvard Astrophysicist Avi Loeb Links Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS’s Strange Acceleration and Colour Change to Possible Artificial Origin.
Tracking Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS
NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) have turned their entire interplanetary fleet toward the visitor. Data is being collected not just from Earth-based telescopes, but from assets across the solar system, including the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, the JUICE mission near Jupiter, and the Perseverance rover on the Martian surface.
"This object looks and behaves like a comet, and all evidence points to it being a comet," NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya stated during a recent briefing. "But this one came from outside the solar system, which makes it fascinating and scientifically very important."
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 18, 2025 12:38 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).