Friday, July 11, 2025

Spotting New Interstellar Comet C/2025 N1 ATLAS

The faint dot of Comet 3I/ATLAS, imaged by the Nordic Optical Telescope in the Canary Islands the day after discovery. Credit: The Nordic Optical Telescope.

It’s the question of the hour. On the first day of the month July 1st, the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) station at Río Hurtado, Chile spotted an interstellar interloper, which would receive the official designation C/2025 N1 ATLAS or 3I/ATLAS. The ‘I’ is a rare ‘interstellar’ designation, only the third such object known of after 1I/ʻOumuamua and 2/I Borisov. But can we see it? Such a spectacle as actually seeing an interstellar comet would be a true rarity to cross off your skywatching life list.



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