Watch Interstellar Comet's Final Goodbye Live Today

Today marks our last chance to see one of the universe's most mysterious travelers before it disappears into the darkness between stars.

The Virtual Telescope Project is hosting a free livestream at 5 p.m. EST, offering earthlings a final glimpse of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as it begins a journey that will take thousands of years. Using a robotic telescope in Manciano, Italy, viewers worldwide can watch this cosmic wanderer in real time as it moves through space.

This isn't just any comet. 3I/ATLAS is only the third confirmed interstellar object ever detected visiting our solar system, meaning it came from somewhere beyond the sun's gravitational reach.

Scientists discovered the comet on July 1, 2025, and immediately knew something special was happening. Its trajectory proved it wasn't bound to our sun like regular comets. Instead, this visitor was just passing through on a voyage that began light years away.

The comet surprised researchers when it brightened more than expected during its closest approach to the sun on October 29. After hiding behind the sun for several weeks, it made its nearest pass to Earth on December 19, zipping by at 168 million miles away.

3I/ATLAS has one more stop on its solar system tour. In March, it will swing past Jupiter at just 33.4 million miles, close enough for the gas giant's gravity to give it a final boost toward the exit.

Why This Inspires

"This is a very precious opportunity to personally see, in real time, the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, one of the most important discoveries of the last decade," said Gianluca Masi, founder of the Virtual Telescope Project. His enthusiasm captures what makes this moment special: we're witnessing something that connects our small corner of space to the vast cosmic ocean beyond.

The comet's next chapter will unfold over millennia. After leaving Jupiter, it will drift past the outer icy planets, eventually piercing through the Oort cloud, that distant shell of frozen objects marking the edge of the sun's domain.

Then comes the long silence of interstellar space, where 3I/ATLAS will travel alone through the darkness between stars, carrying with it the faint warmth of our sun's light and the knowledge that millions of humans paused to say goodbye.

Today's livestream offers something rare: a chance to witness the universe in motion, to see with our own eyes that we're part of something far larger than ourselves.