In the photo from the space station, the comet is captured just above Earth’s horizon, which is illuminated by a bright light — also known as airglow — that occurs in the planet’s upper atmosphere when atoms and molecules emit light after being excited by sunlight.

NASA astronaut Don Pettit has snapped a striking shot of the super-bright comet racing past our planet for the first time in 160,000 years, as it lit up the night skies across the globe.

One of the many advantages of being in space is having a front-row seat to the most anticipated cosmic events. NASA astronaut Don Pettit, flight engineer for the Expedition 72 crew, proved that when he witnessed Comet ATLAS from the International Space Station,

G3 (ATLAS) is now visible in the post-sunset night sky. It's best seen in the Southern Hemisphere, but it's visible north of the equator if you know where to look.

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.

Astronaut Don Pettit took this stunning photo of a nearby comet from the International Space Station

A guide on how to see Comet C/2024 G3 from Texas this week before it dims and disappears for the next 160,000 years.

G3 may be hard to see due to weather patterns and the California wildfires, said Tim Brothers of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

G3 (ATLAS) should be visible from the southern hemisphere, and possibly also the northern hemisphere, over the next few days

Astronaut Don Pettit captures stunning footage of Comet ATLAS from the International Space Station, offering a rare glimpse of the comet's passage through our solar system

Comet ATLAS G3 will be closest to the Sun on Jan. 13, 2025, but will mainly be visible only from the Southern Hemisphere.

G3 could shine as bright as Venus due to its close proximity to the Sun.