
The interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, which has captured imaginations around the world, will make its closest approach to Earth on Friday, December 19, offering astronomers a narrow window to observe the rare visitor from a different galaxy.
The third confirmed interstellar object ever recorded, 3I/ATLAS will arrive no closer than 269 million kilometres from Earth – nearly twice the average distance between the Earth and the Sun, according to the European Space Agency (ESA).