A new large cloud of solar plasma will hit 3I/ATLAS on Friday, November 21.

Calculations indicate that a new large plasma outburst recorded on the far side of the Sun on November 17 is aimed directly at 3I/ATLAS, currently located to the right of the Sun. The plasma cloud will strike the interstellar "comet-ship" at midday on Friday, November 21, at approximately 3:00 PM Moscow time. The long transit time, nearly four days, is due to the object's great distance from the Sun: currently, it is approximately 230 million km.

3I/ATLAS previously experienced a series of strong solar plasma impacts in late October, when it passed almost directly behind the Sun, which, among other things, raised questions about the celestial body's ability to withstand these impacts. Unlike comets in the solar system, which regularly approach the Sun, this encounter was very likely the interstellar body's first. Nevertheless, the object emerged from behind the Sun on the expected date, albeit with a slightly altered orbit and a brightness greater than predicted. Following this, solar activity remained virtually silent for a month, shifting from the far side of the Sun, where 3I/ATLAS is located, to the side facing Earth. The planet experienced the full force of this activity last week, when two of the year's most powerful flares were recorded, along with the second-strongest magnetic storm of the year in five years. Now, a month later, solar activity has shifted to the far side again and resumed its remarkably precise impacts on the comet.

Since 3I/ATLAS can now be observed from Earth, there is a chance that the aftermath of the new plasma cloud's impact on the object will be directly visible this time. However, this is not a certainty, as the celestial body is still being observed at very low resolution.