Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Nears Earth: How to Spot This Rare Visitor Today

• Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS makes its closest approach to Earth today, Friday, December 19, passing within 167 million miles (269 million km).
• This is only the third confirmed interstellar object ever recorded, originating from another star system, possibly older than ours.
• Stargazers can spot it in the predawn sky with powerful binoculars or a backyard telescope, appearing as a glowing star underneath Regulus in the constellation Leo.
• The comet, estimated between 1,444 feet and 3.5 miles in size, will pass Jupiter in March before leaving the solar system by mid-2030s, never to return.
• A live stream by the Virtual Telescope Project is available for those unable to view it directly.

Why It Matters: Catch a rare glimpse of interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS today before it leaves our solar system forever.