Final chance to see comet 3I/ATLAS. Watch the live stream this week and bid farewell to the interstellar visitor

A group of astronomers who have been tracking 3I/ATLAS since the summer of 2025 have announced their final live stream of the comet will take place this week.

The comet is approaching opposition on 22 January 2026, which is the point when it will be opposite the Sun in the sky, from our perspective on Earth.

More on 3I/ATLAS

Image of comet 3I/ATLAS captured by the Gemini North telescope, 26 November 2025. Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/B. Bolin. Image Processing: J. Miller & M. Rodriguez (International Gemini Observatory/NSF NOIRLab), T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF NOIRLab), M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab) — Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/B. Bolin. Image Processing: J. Miller & M. Rodriguez (International Gemini Observatory/NSF NOIRLab), T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF NOIRLab), M. Zamani (NSF NOIRLab)

Opposition is the best time to see a celestial object like a planet, comet or asteroid, and so if you've not managed to see 3I/ATLAS for yourself yet, this could be the opportunity you've been waiting for.

Comet 3I/ATLAS is visible throughout January 2026 through telescopes, and you can locate it for yourself using our chart below.

3I/ATLAS, the story so far

Comet 3I/ATLAS was discovered on 1 July 2025 and has captured the imaginations of scientists and the general public alike.

It's an interstellar comet, which means it didn't form within our Solar System. Instead, it formed beyond our Solar System and is merely passing through.

Comet 3I/ATLAS is one of only three such interstellar objects ever discovered, but astronomers are hoping that, with the next generation of telescopes, we may be able to discover many more interstellar objects.

Once 3I/ATLAS exits our Solar System, it will be gone forever, which means astronomers have been capturing as many views of it as they can, while it's visible.

We've seen images of 3I/ATLAS captured by the Hubble Space Telescope, the Very Large Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope.

3I/ATLAS has been captured by solar-observing spacecraft and by the Juice mission and the Europa Clipper missions on their way to Jupiter.

Even spacecraft and rovers at Mars have seen 3I/ATLAS.

Last-chance live stream

The astronomers at the Virtual Telescope Project 2.0 have hosted numerous live feeds since the comet's discovery, giving the public a chance to see 3I/ATLAS for themselves, without the need for a telescope.

The team say their final public, online observations of the interstellar comet will take place this Thursday 22 January 2026, when 3I/ATLAS is at opposition.

The stream will begin at 23:00 UTC and you can watch it below, via the group's YouTube channel.

Share your thoughts, observations and images of 3I/ATLAS with us by emailing contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com