The object gained an official name, C/2025 N1 or 3I/ATLAS, on Wednesday. Moving at a record-setting speed for an interstellar visitor, it is travelling along a curve but not in a closed loop – confirmation of its origins outside the Solar System. It will zoom past our Sun without being captured by its gravity.

You can watch comet 3I/ATLAS live online tonight (July 3), thanks to the Virtual Telescope Project, which will livestream views beginning at 6:00 p.m. EDT (2200 GMT). The feed will showcase imagery from telescopes in Manciano, Italy, weather permitting. Tune in via Virtual Telescope's WebTV, YouTube channel or here on Space.com.