On December 19, it will fly about 270 million kilometers from Earth, which is almost 700 times greater than the average distance between our planet and the Moon. Astronomers believe that the most powerful telescopes will be able to observe it for several days to better understand its composition. However, due to the distance, it will not be observable in the sky with the naked eye.
How to track the 3I/Atlas trajectory
So far, the comet has remained stable, and everything indicates that it will remain so as it passes through the solar system. This means that anyone can follow its trajectory in real time, even without direct observation through a telescope.
Sites like Live sky offer continuous monitoring of 3I/Atlas. It constantly shows the comet’s distance from Earth, as well as the constellation to which it is closest. It also predicts its coordinates for the next few weeks, giving observers time to prepare. Other sites, e.g 3Iatlaslive, apply NASA data to generate 2D maps illustrating its path.
You can also find live broadcasts on YouTube showing the comet’s passage through the solar system in real time. Actually, these broadcasts come from simulator created by NASA as part of the Eyes on the Solar System project. You can visit it for free, even though the agency itself is affected by the ongoing U.S. government shutdown.
The story originally appeared on WIRED in Spanish and was translated from Spanish.