Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS to Be Livestreamed on Nov. 18

MANCIANO, Italy — Astronomers and space enthusiasts are invited to witness interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS during a special livestream event on Nov. 18, 2025. The Virtual Telescope Project will host the online observation at 11:15 p.m. EST (0415 GMT on Nov. 19), allowing viewers to see the comet as it moves away from the sun on its escape trajectory.

The event was initially set for Nov. 16 but was postponed because of adverse weather conditions. Comet 3I/ATLAS, discovered on July 1, 2025, is notable for being only the third confirmed interstellar object to pass through our solar system. It made its closest approach on Oct. 30 during an event referred to by astronomers as ‘perihelion.’

Dr. Gianluca Masi, the founder of the Virtual Telescope Project, captured a stunning image of the comet on Nov. 11. The picture displayed the comet’s central coma glowing brightly, surrounded by the solar wind. Currently, 3I/ATLAS can be seen rising in the east just before dawn in mid to late November, traveling through the region of the sky known as the Milky Way.

Despite its dimness and an estimated magnitude of over 15, small backyard telescopes can still resolve the comet’s bright coma into a fuzzy appearance. The livestream will feature images taken by the project’s robotic telescopes in Italy, weather permitting.

For scientists, 3I/ATLAS offers a unique opportunity to study an interstellar comet. The object likely contains a significant amount of carbon dioxide ice, giving insight into the conditions in the distant star system where it originated. The information gathered on this comet could provide valuable data regarding how comets evolve as they pass by the sun.

As excitement builds for the livestream, ongoing observations from various astronomers continue to reveal new details of 3I/ATLAS’s behavior. Dr. Masi emphasized the significance of tracking this comet, stating, ‘The comet behaves like a living laboratory.’ It will be interesting to observe how the comet reacts, especially as it approaches its next encounter with Jupiter in March 2026.