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Space

Science

Daisy Dobrijevic

Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS makes its closest approach to Earth tonight: Here's what you need to know

Earth 3I Atlas Solar System

Interstellat comet 3I/ATLAS on the right glows white and surrounded by a blue haze. on the left is an image of Earth from space. .

Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS will make its closest approach to Earth on Friday, Dec. 19, marking a key moment in the journey of one of the rarest visitors ever observed in our solar system.

Discovered on July 1 by the NASA-funded ATLAS telescopes in Chile, 3I/ATLAS is only the third confirmed interstellar object known to have passed through our cosmic neighborhood, following 1I/'Oumuamua in 2017 and comet 2I/Borisov in 2019. Its trajectory shows that it originated from beyond our solar system and will eventually travel back into interstellar space.

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