New Moon means dark skies — and your chance to try photographing interstellar interloper 3I/ATLAS moving against the background stars.
This photo shows the newest interstellar object, 3I/ATLAS, as captured by Vamshi Kesireddy using a Unistellar smartscope. Credit: Vamshi Kesireddy/Unistellar
- Comet 3I/ATLAS, an interstellar visitor, is visible tonight.
- Use a telescope (at least 6 inches) to locate it near the star Sabik.
- 3I/ATLAS will appear to move southwest of Sabik over the next few nights.
- The new moon makes tonight ideal for observing faint objects.
New Moon occurs at 3:11 P.M. EDT, leaving the sky dark and perfect for observing faint objects such as 3I/ATLAS, our newest interstellar interloper. Currently around 17th magnitude and gliding through Ophiuchus, you’ll want a scope that’s on the larger side (at least 6 inches, preferably more) to nab your own photograph of this ancient comet, possibly the oldest we’ve ever seen.
3I will rise around 5 P.M. local daylight time and is highest around 10 P.M., when it appears 30° high in the south. Tonight it is conveniently close to 2nd-magnitude Sabik (Eta Ophiuchi). Once you center Sabik in your scope, you’ll find 3I about one field of view away, just 2.3° south of the star. It’s moving through a rich region near the plane of the Milky Way — which you’ll certainly notice given the huge swath of background stars, making it harder to spot the comet in a single exposure. However, take several images to see which faint point of light is moving, and that’s your sign you’ve nabbed a visitor from another star system in your shot.
3I will stand near this star for several more nights, so you can continue to use it as a guide for finding it for at least a few more days. The comet is moving west with respect to the background stars, so it will appear progressively farther southwest of Sabik on subsequent nights.
Sunrise: 5:52 A.M.
Sunset: 8:21P.M.
Moonrise: 5:20 A.M.
Moonset: 8:44 P.M.
Moon Phase: New
*Times for sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset are given in local time from 40° N 90° W. The Moon’s illumination is given at 12 P.M. local time from the same location.
For a look ahead at more upcoming sky events, check out our full Sky This Week column.
