The interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS will reach its closest point to our world Dec. 19. According to NASA, people will be able to observe it from home with ground-based telescopes.

Since it was discovered July 1 by the NASA-funded ATLAS survey telescope in Río Hurtado, Chile, scientists have been tracking the rare comet. (RELATED: Strange-Looking UFO Spotted Hovering Over Bogotá, Colombia In Hair-Raising Video)

Ongoing observations by scientists have revealed details about the comet‘s size and composition, confirming its interstellar origin through its trajectory and velocity.

3I/ATLAS is the third object to be discovered to go through the galaxy from outside, “which makes it fascinating, exciting, and scientifically very important,” according to NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya per FOX 13 Tampa Bay.

Discovered over the summer, the comet known as 3I/Atlas will pass within 167 million miles of our planet on Friday, the closest it gets on its grand tour of the solar system. https://t.co/Hq35nALFch

— PBS News (@NewsHour) December 16, 2025

The interstellar comet is racing through the solar system at speeds reaching a remarkable 130,000 miles per hour, which makes it the fastest known interstellar object to visit our solar system, per NASA.

In the most recent observation Nov. 30, 3I/ATLAS was approximately 178 million miles from Earth. Astronomers confirm that the comet‘s closest approach will be no less than 170 million miles, posing no threat to our planet.

With that being said, that approach Friday could potentially be slightly nearer at approximately 167 million miles from the planet.

“Astronomers can glean information about celestial bodies by observing the light reflected off them with telescopes. When 3I/ATLAS is closest to the Earth, all the features that we are looking for will be easier to detect with our telescopes,” said Michigan State University Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy Darryl Z. Seligman, per space.com.