A comet from another star system is due to make its closestand finalapproach to Earth this week before it continues on its journey back toward interstellar space. Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS will pass within 167 million miles of our planet on Friday, when it will appear to us like a bright star in the night sky. For comparison, Mars is currently around 250 million miles from Earth.
In October, a newly discovered comet will streak so close to Earth that people may be able to make out its heavenly fireworks with the naked eye - a spectacle that won't happen again for more than a millennium, according to Space.com, so it's worth trying to spot it. This icy interstellar visitor, now given the clunky name of C/2025 R2 (SWAN), is estimated to make its closest approach to Earth at a mere 25.10 million miles away on around October 21, Space.com reports. It's visible to people with telescopes and binoculars in the Southern Hemisphere, but it may become bright enough to see unaided as its trajectory brings it into view in the Northern Hemisphere.