Sky watchers worldwide are getting ready to see an astronomical rarity: the passage of 3I/ATLAS, the third confirmed interstellar object ever found in our solar system. Soon, spectators on Earth will have the opportunity to see this visitor from deep space in real time as it races away from the sun on a hyperbolic escape course. Astronomers are invited to watch this fast-moving object as it returns to the dark depths of interstellar space during a special global broadcast on November 18, which the Virtual Telescope Project has announced to commemorate the event.
Both amateurs and scientists are interested in this unique viewing opportunity. Oumuamua in 2017 and comet 2I/Borisov in 2019 are the only other known interstellar objects, making their appearances among the most remarkable occurrences in contemporary astronomy.
Livestream on November 18: A Second Attempt After Weather Delay
Due to bad weather in Italy, the Virtual Telescope Project had to postpone their original plan to broadcast the event earlier. The webcast is now scheduled for November 18 at 11:15 p.m. EST (04:15 GMT on November 19) according to the updated forecast. The organization’s official YouTube channel will host the show, allowing anyone from all over the world to watch for free.
In order to assist viewers comprehend what they are seeing, the webcast will integrate professional narration with real-time telescopic footage, according to a Space report. After its October 30 perihelion, the closest point in its solar passage, 3I/ATLAS is fast travelling away from the sun, making this an exceptional opportunity to photograph the comet as it emerges from the harsh solar glare.
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Real-Time Telescope Imagery: Observatories in Italy Set the Stage
The Virtual Telescope Project intends to take high-resolution pictures of the intergalactic voyager during the webcast using its potent robotic telescopes in Manciano, Italy. These observatories are renowned for offering some of the world’s clearest and most comprehensive public astronomy broadcasts.
Viewers will observe 3I/ATLAS as it is now, a dim but fascinating object with a visible coma—the incandescent cloud of gas and dust around its nucleus—and a thin, ghost-like ion tail created by the pressure of the solar wind, if the skies stay clear. The webcast is a particularly useful window into this cosmic intruder because such features are rarely observable to the untrained human eye, even under perfect viewing conditions.
The comet is progressively darkening and moving away from Earth as it continues its outward route, making prompt observation even more crucial.
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Discovery and Confirmation: A New Interstellar Object in 2025
The ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) scan made the initial discovery of Comet 3I/ATLAS on July 1, 2025. The object’s orbital path did not reflect that of typical long-period comets originating from the Oort Cloud, as astronomers soon discovered. Rather, its trajectory showed that it was not attached to the sun by gravity.
Subsequent observations showed an orbit that was clearly hyperbolic, a characteristic of interstellar objects. This meant that 3I/ATLAS was travelling through the solar system in a single direction rather than circling the sun in an elliptical course.
Astronomers verified that 3I/ATLAS was the third known interstellar visitor within days of its detection, as follows:
- 1I/‘Oumuamua (2017) – A cigar-shaped, tumbling object with mysterious acceleration.
- 2I/Borisov (2019) – A comet-like visitor with a visible tail and composition similar to solar system comets.
The confirmation of 3I/ATLAS keeps up a trend that indicates interstellar objects might be more prevalent than previously believed—but very challenging to find.
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A Closer Look: What 3I/ATLAS Looks Like Today
Gianluca Masi, the founder of the Virtual Telescope Project, unveiled an enthralling new photo of the comet on November 11. It displayed a thin, wispy ion tail extending behind the bright core nucleus, which was encircled by a compact coma. Because of its low density and interactions with streams of charged solar particles, the tail has a smoke-like appearance.
These pictures provide scientists with a unique window into the structural features and chemical composition of objects produced around other stars. Information that may go back billions of years to the origin of other planetary systems is preserved by the primordial dust, ice, and organic compounds that each interstellar comet conveys from its parent system.
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Viewing 3I/ATLAS from Earth: Where to Look in the Sky
Astronomers emphasise that viewing circumstances are extremely difficult for anyone expecting to see 3I/ATLAS without the webcast. The comet is presently best observed low on the eastern horizon before dawn from mid-to late November, according to Space. over a simple backyard telescope, it appears as a dim, diffuse patch travelling over Virgo’s star field.
However, the comet is much too dim for the unaided eye or even binoculars, with an estimated brightness of magnitude +10.9. Direct observation is challenging due to light pollution, air haze, and its rapidly expanding distance, which is another reason why the Virtual Telescope Project’s transmission is anticipated to garner significant international attention.
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Why the 3I/ATLAS Livestream Is Scientifically Significant
Interstellar objects, which are uncommon samples from far-off planetary systems that cannot otherwise be directly analysed, are viewed by astronomers as cosmic messages. Every visitor provides information about:
- Chemical compositions of exoplanetary debris
- Comparisons with comets in our own solar system
- Formation histories of distant star systems
- Properties of interstellar dust and ice
- Clues about the frequency of planet formation in other regions of the galaxy
As time capsules, interstellar comets such as 3I/ATLAS transport unaltered material that was produced light-years away. Scientists can examine the minerals and chemical molecules that once surrounded extraterrestrial suns by examining their comas and tails.
Additionally, the broadcast will contribute to increasing public knowledge of interstellar research, a field that has expanded quickly since the discovery of “Oumuamua,” which prompted interest in and discussion about the nature of such objects throughout the world.
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A Rare Window Into Cosmic Traffic Beyond Our Solar System
The launch of 3I/ATLAS serves as a reminder to the general audience of how dynamic and ever-changing our cosmic environment is. Despite the vastness of interstellar space, evidence now points to the constant movement of material between star systems, including boulders, comets, ice pieces, and planetary remnants. Humans have just recently started to see them thanks to more advanced telescopes and contemporary sky surveys.
These items can reveal:
- How common interstellar debris really is
- Whether our solar system ejects similar material
- How objects may carry organic molecules between star systems
- Whether interstellar travel of material could play a role in panspermia theories
Every confirmed interstellar visitor adds valuable data to these questions.
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Conclusion
For astronomy, the upcoming 3I/ATLAS stream represents a unique and historic event. This event presents a unique chance for researchers and casual sky watchers to see an object that started light-years distant, as only three such interstellar objects have ever been spotted.
The livestream makes sure that everyone on the planet may witness 3I/ATLAS’s brief journey as it rushes back into the blackness of interstellar space. The event promises to be a potent reminder of our planet’s position within a much broader galactic neighbourhood, from the luminous coma shaped by solar radiation to the narrow ion tail following behind it.