How to Follow the Trajectory of Comet 3I/Atlas
On December 19, it will pass approximately 270 million kilometers from Earth, almost 700 times the average distance between our planet and the Moon. Astronomers estimate that for a few days the most powerful telescopes will be able to observe it to better understand its composition. However, due to its distance, it will be impossible to see it with the naked eye in the sky.
How to follow the trajectory of 3I/Atlas
So far, the comet has behaved stably, and everything indicates that this will remain the case as it passes through the solar system. This means that anyone can follow its trajectory in real time, even without observing it directly with a telescope.
Websites such as The sky live provide continuous monitoring of 3I/Atlas. It indicates at any time the distance between the comet and Earth, as well as the constellation it is closest to. It also forecasts its coordinates for the coming weeks, giving observers time to prepare. Other sites, like 3Iatlaslive, use NASA data to generate 2D maps depicting its path.
You can also find live broadcasts on YouTube that show the comet’s passage through the solar system in real time. In reality, these emissions come from a simulator created by NASA as part of the Eyes on the Solar System project. You can explore it for free, although the agency itself is affected by the current US government shutdown.
The story was originally published on WIRED en Español and was translated from Spanish.
