<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>An incredibly rare astronomical phenomenon is taking place in our sky right now, you just can't see it - yet.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The rare interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS is currently passing by Earth and though its proximity to the sun has rendered it invisible for the moment, that will change next month.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But, even then, only a select number of Australians with the right equipment will be able to see the comet in all its glory.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/celestial-events-australia-2025-lunar-eclipses-meteor-showers-supermoons-explainer/52c025c5-9f35-4801-a209-05e7b15bb94a" target="_blank"><strong><span>Your guide to Australia's skies: The lunar eclipses, meteor showers and celestial events happening in 2025</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Here's everything to know about our interstellar visitor, including how and when to see it from Australia.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>What is Comet 3I/ATLAS?</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Comet 3I/ATLAS is something special, as it's just the third known object that has entered our solar system from somewhere else entirely.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/comet-3i-atlas-everything-to-know-how-when-to-see-from-australia-explained/867fea3b-ccd9-4197-a31b-1ca0ffdb9352" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A rare interstellar comet, it was </span><a href="https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/comets/3i-atlas/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="first spotted"><span>first spotted</span></a><span> by a team of astronomers from Rio Hurtado, Chile back on July 1.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>NASA's Hubble Space Telescope snapped an image of the comet on July 21, when it was still 445million kilometres from Earth, sparking excitement in astronomical communities.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Now it's passing by Earth as it rockets across our solar system and, based on current trajectory predictions, back into space.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>What does the name 3I/ATLAS mean?</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The name 3I/ATLAS may sound unusual, but it follows a common naming convention for comets.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Comets are typically named for the person or people who discover them.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In this case, it received the name Atlas from the NASA-funded ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) survey team that first reported it.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>As for the 3I in its name, that's a reference to the fact it is the third (3) known interstellar (I) object to pass through our solar system.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/australia-public-holidays-dates-state-by-state-guide-explainer/ed0b6d3a-0f10-4134-ad08-f3db711978a6" target="_blank"><strong><span>How to maximise public holidays and make the most of your annual leave in 2025</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>How big is Comet 3I/ATLAS?</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Technically, we don't know.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>NASA has been observing the comet as it passes through the Milky Way, using the Hubble Space Telescope to record as much data as possible.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Current estimates place its diameter at anywhere between 440 metres and 5.6 kilometres.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Closer observation would be required to get a more precise estimate, but that's easier said than done for a comet that was travelling at 221,000km/s when it was discovered.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>And it's only gotten faster since.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>Will Comet 3I/ATLAS hit Earth?</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>No.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Though the comet will travel between Earth and Mars' orbits as it passes the sun, it poses no threat to our planet.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Even at its closest, it will still be about 1.6 astronomical units or 240 million kilometres from Earth.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/breastfeeding-in-public-legal-rights-explained/e0b21c94-f6a2-47a0-947c-3c1f1ada8b74" target="_blank"><strong><span>Breastfeeding in public: What are your legal rights in Australia?</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="styles__Wrapper-sc-2o34ro-0 cmwkBV"><div class="styles__Column-sc-2o34ro-3 jJDKrX"><a href="/content/2025/04/20/09/46/astronaut-view-from-space-in-photos"><img alt="" sizes="(min-width: 1024px) 636px, (min-width: 768px) 396px, 100vw" src="https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/J1_E4qDTsXVajNsFfw3-9EfOVv0=/0x662:1600x1562/396x223/https%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2Ffs%2F726ea032-e6d9-42d2-9469-ae7ab08fd07f" srcset="https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/J1_E4qDTsXVajNsFfw3-9EfOVv0=/0x662:1600x1562/396x223/https%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2Ffs%2F726ea032-e6d9-42d2-9469-ae7ab08fd07f 396w, https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/LsVmRO0c25TUmHZhPxjkQ0ws3cY=/0x662:1600x1562/636x358/https%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2Ffs%2F726ea032-e6d9-42d2-9469-ae7ab08fd07f 636w"/></a></div><div class="styles__Column-sc-2o34ro-3 jJDKrX"><div class="styles__Headline-sc-2o34ro-4 hpbOlz">Astronaut returning to earth shares mind-blowing images of the cosmos</div><div class="styles__Button-sc-2o34ro-1 eBjlmW"><a class="styles__ButtonLink-sc-2o34ro-2 hqpklJ" href="/content/2025/04/20/09/46/astronaut-view-from-space-in-photos">View Gallery</a></div></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>Can I see Comet 3I/ATLAS with the naked eye from Australia?</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Unfortunately, Comet 3I/ATLAS will not be visible to the naked eye.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>However, it may be visible from Australia to those with the right stargazing tools at certain times.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>What equipment do I need to see Comet 3I/ATLAS?</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Australians wanting to catch a glimpse of the rare comet will need an 8-inch telescope at the absolute minimum, according to the </span><a href="https://3i-atlas.net/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="online 3I/ATLAS Tracker."><span>online 3I/ATLAS Tracker.</span></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It also recommends the use of star charts to help locate the comet in the sky.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>When is the best time to see Comet 3I/ATLAS from Australia?</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Comet 3I/ATLAS is not currently visible as it's passing too close to the sun to observe.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>That will change in early December, when it will move far enough from the sun to be visible again.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The best observing opportunities will be around December 19, as this is when the comet will be closest to Earth.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>On a clear night, the comet should be visible above the horizon line near midnight and remain so until around sunrise.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/strip-searches-music-festivals-rules-in-nsw-explained/600c1c7f-69ed-446e-867d-fb48294d2d6f" target="_blank"><strong><span>A court ruling has changed the way police conduct strip-searches in NSW. Here is what you need to know</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>Where do I look in the sky to find the comet?</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The comet is predicted to rise in the north-east and set in the west. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><h3><strong><span>What will the comet look like through a telescope?</span></strong></h3></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>According to the tracker, stargazers should look for a "fuzzy, non-stellar appearance" with a tail of light making its way across the sky.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><em><strong><span>Have you got a story? 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