One of the brightest comets in 20 years, Comet 2024 G3 (ATLAS) returns for a close encounter with the sun — but will we be able to see it?

Comet G3 ATLAS (C/2024) is about to reach its closest point to the Sun in mid-January, making it the brightest comet of the year that won't be visible again for another 160,000 years. Here's when and how to spot it from Earth.

G3 is set to dazzle Southern Hemisphere skywatchers in mid-January. Here’s everything you need to know about the 'New Year comet'.

While both the Northern and Southern hemisphere will have a chance of viewing, the Southern will have an easier time spotting it. According to the Sky and Telescope Organization, skywatchers in the Northern Hemisphere might have the ability to spot the comet 'extremely low in the southwestern sky' from about January 15 to 18.

Comet G3 ATLAS is set to shine at its brightest this week, potentially outshining Venus and Jupiter, offering a rare and fleeting glimpse of one of the solar system's most extraordinary phenomena.

In the wake of comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) in October, comet G3 is due to reach perihelion — its closest to the sun — on Jan. 13, 2025. That day, this icy visitor to the inner solar system will get to within just 8.3 million miles (13.5 million kilometers) from the sun.