Laboratory experts point out that comet 3I/ATLAS was at seven o’clock Moscow time in the morning on Friday, December 19, at its closest point to Earth, about 500 thousand kilometers, and this distance will remain constant until December 22, after which the comet will quickly move away from Earth.

According to the laboratory, Comet 3I/ATLAS is currently the third brightest comet in the sky, yet it can only be seen using a professional telescope. However, its location can be determined using online star mapping applications, in addition to observing large stars near it, such as Arcturus, Sirius, and Procyon.

The closest star to comet 3I/ATLAS in the sky these days is the star Regulus, which is the brightest star in the constellation Leo. The comet appears above the horizon at about ten or eleven o’clock in the evening, Moscow time.

It should be noted that comet 3I/ATLAS is the third celestial body discovered by astronomers after the discovery of the asteroid “Oumuamua” in the fall of 2017, and comet 2I/Borisov, which was discovered by Russian astronomer Gennady Borisov in August 2019. Scientists believe that the comet does not pose any threat to Earth.

Source: TASS