Direct answer: 3I/ATLAS will not come closer to Earth than about 167–168 million miles (roughly 270–270 million kilometers) around mid-December 2025. The closest Earth approach is anticipated on December 19, 2025, at approximately 167 million miles from Earth, after which it will move away. Context and key points:
- 3I/ATLAS is an interstellar comet that passed perihelion near the Sun around October 29–30, 2025, at about 1.4 AU from the Sun. It traveled along a hyperbolic, retrograde trajectory and will not collide with Earth.
- After its solar perihelion, the object’s path brings it relatively close to the inner Solar System, with the nearest Earth distance forecast for December 19, 2025, at about 167 million miles (approximately 270 million kilometers).
- Observational updates from space agencies and science outlets note the comet’s behavior changes (e.g., blue color and non-gravitational acceleration) as it nears and recedes from the Sun, but these do not imply a hazard to Earth. Closest Earth approach remains safely distant.
If you’d like, I can summarize the latest official observations and provide a quick one-page watchlist of dates and distances as the object moves past the Sun and toward Earth.
