Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Comet 3I/ATLAS just made one of the closest passes near Jupiter we’ve ever seen from an interstellar object — and I tried to capture it.
On March 16, 2026, 3I/ATLAS passed extremely close to Jupiter, near the scale of Jupiter’s Hill sphere — the region where Jupiter’s gravity dominates. While some early estimates suggested it may have passed incredibly close to that boundary, the exact distance is still being refined. Either way, this is a rare and important event in understanding interstellar objects entering our solar system.
In this video, I show:
🔭 My actual tracking images of 3I/ATLAS
📍 How I used plate solving to locate the comet
🧭 The exact coordinates and star field comparison
🪐 Why this close approach to Jupiter is so interesting
⚠️ What we know — and what we still don’t
I also share updates on the Great Comet 2026 (C/2026 A1 MAPS), which is rapidly brightening as it approaches the Sun and could become a spectacular object in the coming weeks.
This is just the beginning. With new telescopes like the Vera Rubin Observatory coming online, we may discover many more interstellar objects — and possibly more surprises.
Comet 3I/ATLAS just made one of the closest passes near Jupiter we’ve ever seen from an interstellar object — and I tried to capture it.
On March 16, 2026, 3I/ATLAS passed extremely close to Jupiter, near the scale of Jupiter’s Hill sphere — the region where Jupiter’s gravity dominates. While some early estimates suggested it may have passed incredibly close to that boundary, the exact distance is still being refined. Either way, this is a rare and important event in understanding interstellar objects entering our solar system.
In this video, I show:
🔭 My actual tracking images of 3I/ATLAS
📍 How I used plate solving to locate the comet
🧭 The exact coordinates and star field comparison
🪐 Why this close approach to Jupiter is so interesting
⚠️ What we know — and what we still don’t
I also share updates on the Great Comet 2026 (C/2026 A1 MAPS), which is rapidly brightening as it approaches the Sun and could become a spectacular object in the coming weeks.
This is just the beginning. With new telescopes like the Vera Rubin Observatory coming online, we may discover many more interstellar objects — and possibly more surprises.
