Comet 3I/ATLAS Live Tracker: NASA to Unveil New Images Tomorrow — How and When to Watch
NASA will unveil new images of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS during a live broadcast on November 19, while the Virtual Telescope Project streams the object tonight. Track the comet’s unusual behavior, chemistry, and real-time motion here.
Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS reappears post-perihelion as NASA prepares to release new imagery and telescopic data.
As NASA prepares to distribute a fresh set of high-quality images of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS in a live event on November 19 at 3:00 p.m. eastern time, public interest continues to wax. The event also follows the world's astronomers as they track this rare object, just emerging back into view after going around the Sun post-perihelion. Detected on July 1, Comet 3I/ATLAS is only the third confirmed interstellar visitor to punt into our Solar System. Estimated to have a diameter roughly comparable to that of the island of Manhattan, the comet swung about the Sun on October 30 and is now on the ascent towards the east in the pre-dawn sky, coming just east of Virgo.
Live Stream Tonight
Skywatchers can view the comet in real time tonight.
The Virtual Telescope Project will stream live telescopic footage of 3I/ATLAS at 11:15 PM ET on its official YouTube channel.
NASA Live Event Tomorrow
NASA’s live broadcast from the Goddard Space Flight Center will feature new imagery and data collected from multiple missions, including space-based and ground-based observatories. Scientists are expected to reveal new insights into the comet’s composition, unusual activity, and trajectory.
A Highly Active Interstellar Visitor
Recent telemetry shows 3I/ATLAS racing outward at 58 km/s with non-gravitational acceleration, believed to be caused by intense outgassing. NASA models indicate the comet may be shedding significant mass as hidden debris plumes vent near the Sun.
Astronomers were also stunned by the comet’s unexpected blue hue at perihelion—unlike the usual red glow of dusty comets. Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb attributes the color shift to sublimating ices scattering shorter wavelengths, creating a distinctive “cosmic rainbow effect.”
Further analysis from SPHEREx and JWST has revealed the comet contains 8–16 times higher CO₂ levels than typical solar system comets, along with unusual nickel vapour emissions, cyanide traces, and hydroxyl gas—indicating water sublimation. Researchers believe 3I/ATLAS may be composed of 7–11-billion-year-old radiation-altered ices, suggesting an origin in the frozen outskirts of another star system.
As 3I/ATLAS continues its journey out of the inner solar system, scientists expect more data in December as JWST conducts new spectral scans.
