November 21, 2025
The same forces that sculpt nebulae and spin galaxies into existence were at work the day you were born.
3I/ATLAS: A View from Planet Earth
Birthday · November 21, 2025
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APOD published November 21, 2025. Credit: Rolando Ligustri. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
Now outbound after its perihelion or closest approach to the Sun on October 29, Comet 3I/ATLAS is only the third known interstellar object to pass through our fair Solar System. Its greenish coma and faint tails are seen against a background of stars in the constellation Virgo in this view from planet Earth, recorded with a small telescope on November 14. But this interstellar interloper is the subject of an on-going, unprecedented Solar System-wide observing campaign involving spacecraft and space telescopes from Earth orbit to the surface of Mars and beyond. And while the comet from another star-system has recently grown brighter, you'll still need a telescope if you want to see 3I/ATLAS from planet Earth. It's now above the horizon in November morning skies and will make its closest approach to Earth, a comfortable 270 million kilometers distant, around December 19.
Image credit: Rolando Ligustri