Why 3I/ATLAS holds the world’s attention: NASA’s stunning reveal today

The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is set to reveal new and detailed imagery of the rare, spectacular interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS (also known as C/2025 N1) during a live event on Wednesday, November 19, at 3 pm EST (12 midnight on November 20, 2025 in the UAE).

3I/ATLAS is giving astrophysicists as a once-in-a-lifetime chance to witness a cosmic visitor from beyond the Milky Way up close.

The event will originate from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and will showcase images and data collected by various NASA missions observing the comet as it travels through the Solar system.

Discovered on July 1 by the NASA-funded Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) observatory, comet 3I/ATLAS is only the third confirmed object ever identified as originating outside the Solar system.

On December 19, 2025, 3I/ATLAS will make its closest approach to Earth, at a distance of about 1.8 AU (roughly 170 million miles or 270 million km).

This poses no threat to Earth, as the comet follows a "hyperbolic" trajectory from outside our Solar system and stays well beyond the Moon's orbit.

For context, it reached perihelion (closest to the Sun) on October 29, 2025, and was closest to Mars on October 3, 2025.

While it poses no threat to Earth, passing no closer than about 170 million miles, it came within 19 million miles of Mars in early October.

Its passage through our celestial neighbourhood offers a spectacular chance for scientists to study its composition, behaviour, and origins.

The live event will be streamed on NASA+, the NASA app, the agency’s official website, YouTube channel, and Amazon Prime, allowing global audiences to participate and submit questions on social media using the hashtag #AskNASA.

Key NASA experts participating include the following:

They will explain how different spacecraft and ground-based observatories have tracked the comet, providing complementary perspectives on this rare celestial traveler.

Studying 3I/ATLAS offers insight into the conditions and materials that exist in other planetary systems across our galaxy, expanding knowledge about planetary formation and chemical evolution beyond the Solar system.

The comet acts as a natural sample sent from distant star systems, helping scientists understand the broader cosmos.

The comet continues drawing attention. Between now and its closest approach to Earth expected on December 19, 2025, more detailed observations will be gathered, promising further exciting discoveries.

The NASA event promises to shed new light on one of the most mysterious visitors ever seen in the Solar system, marking a milestone in interstellar exploration.