Comet G3 ATLAS, visible tonight after 160,000 years, offers a rare celestial spectacle. Reaching peak brightness, it’s best seen in the Southern Hemisphere.

January 13, 2025, as Comet G3 ATLAS (C/2024) reaches its peak brightness. This once-in-a-lifetime spectacle marks the comet's closest approach to the Sun, bringing it within 8.7 million miles of the Sun at its perihelion.

A bright comet could be visible in skies across the globe over the coming days for the only time in 160,000 years. Nasa said the future brightness of a comet is "notoriously hard" to predict, but that Comet C/2024 G3 (Atlas) could remain bright enough to be seen by the naked eye.

Keep your eye on the sky tonight. A once-in-a-lifetime comet is approaching the sun — and it will be visible for the first time in 160,000 years. The comet will also be at its closest point to the Earth and might become the brightest comet of the year during a year when no other comets are set to be visible to the naked eye.