On these interactive maps, we can see where 3I/ATLAS is now and where it is going.
3I/ATLAS reached the closest point of its journey through the Solar System to Earth yesterday: on December 19, in the morning hours, it approached the Earth at a distance of approximately 269 million kilometers. Since the space object came from interstellar space, and so far researchers have only been able to observe such an object in connection with 1I/’Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov, the emergence of ATLAS offered a special opportunity to study an interstellar visitor.
It will still be possible to collect data for a while, but since the comet is already moving away from Earth, it will become increasingly difficult for ground-based telescopes to see after a while. But where is 3I/ATLAS at the moment?
You can find out about the interstellar traveler from several sources, the interactive maps of SkyLive and NASA Eyes on the Solar System show where the comet is, where it came from and where it is going. By choosing the Live option in NASA’s application, the map shows your current position, and with the help of Time Controls, you can also see the evolution of your future path.
SkyLive shows all the data live: the distance from the Earth, its position in the sky (currently in the constellation Leo), which can be seen in great detail by clicking on the interactive map (the city from which to observe the comet can also be set in the menu).
In the c2025n1-tracker menu, the map shows where 3I/ATLAS will be in the next few hours.
The NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory also makes available the latest data on 3I/ATLAS, on the Small-Body Database Lookup page, we can jump forward and backward in time with the arrows in the upper right corner (which is displayed in the lower left corner, the last line), and we can even see where ATLAS will be in 2030 – after that it will be removed from the map, so we cannot follow its further path. As the map shows, the comet will come close to Jupiter in March 2026, at which time the spacecraft orbiting in this area, JUNO, will have a good opportunity to observe the object.
As part of the NEO program, the European Space Agency visualizes the path of ATLAS with the Orbit Visualization Tool, and also shows forecasts of changes in the coming days, months and years.
(Photo: NASA, ESA, STScI, D. Jewitt (UCLA), J. DePasquale/STScI)
