3I/ATLAS: Last chance to see the interstellar comet before it leaves the Solar System

3I/ATLAS is reported as the third recorded interstellar object and is said to be leaving the Solar System after spending roughly 8,000 years in the Oort cloud. A livestream of the comet was scheduled for January 16 at 21:00 UTC.

3I/ATLAS is an interstellar comet the article says will soon leave the Solar System after spending roughly 8,000 years in the Oort cloud. It is described as the third recorded interstellar interloper after 1I/'Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov. The comet passed perihelion on October 27 and made its closest approach to Earth on December 19 at about 1.8 AU (270 million kilometres). The piece notes several unusual behaviours and points to a planned livestream of the object on January 16. Key details: - The article identifies 3I/ATLAS as the third recorded interstellar visitor, after 1I/'Oumuamua (2017) and 2I/Borisov (2019). - It reports the object entered the Oort cloud roughly 8,000 years ago and passed perihelion on October 27. - The comet's closest approach to Earth was reported as December 19 at about 1.8 AU (270 million kilometres). - Observers reported multiple anomalous behaviours; the article says Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb flagged about 16 anomalies, including an anti-tail jet oriented toward the Sun. - The Virtual Asteroid Project was reported to be livestreaming 3I/ATLAS on January 16 at 21:00 UTC (January 17 02:30 IST). - The article links to recent Hubble images and to a report of fresh fragmentation captured by The Virtual Telescope Project. Summary: The article frames 3I/ATLAS as a brief opportunity to observe an interstellar visitor before it departs the Solar System and notes ongoing questions about its behaviour. A scheduled livestream on January 16 is presented as another observation window, and the article also mentions a reported close approach to Jupiter's irregular moon Eupheme on March 16, 2025.