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?

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

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.

The skies are set to light up with a rare celestial spectacle as Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) makes its dramatic approach toward the Sun. Known as a “sun-grazer” due to its perilously close orbit to our star,