Object 3I/Atlas will pass at its closest distance to Jupiter in exactly two weeks.

On March 16, 2026, the final significant event in the eventful life of the comet and alien spacecraft 3I/Atlas (aka C/2025 N1 ATLAS) is expected. The object will pass at its closest approach to Jupiter, the largest planet in the Solar System. According to the latest available estimates, the two bodies will approach at a distance of approximately 53 million kilometers—a negligible distance by cosmic standards.

This close approach to Jupiter is the final link in a chain of truly unique coincidences that abound in 3I/Atlas's orbit, which, in addition to its interstellar nature, have attracted widespread attention. The main feature of this orbit is its remarkable proximity to the plane in which the planets of the Solar System orbit. While most distant comets and asteroids enter the Solar System at a variety of angles (from above, below, and sideways), 3I/Atlas follows a trajectory that lies almost exactly in the plane of the ecliptic. This has allowed it to previously "visit" all four planets closest to the Sun—Mars, Venus, Mercury, and Earth. The chances of such a coincidence are no more than 5-10%. Even more "improbable," with a chance of only about 2%, would be its upcoming close encounter with Jupiter, at a distance of approximately 50 million km. Combined with the interstellar nature of the wanderer entering the Solar System, the overall probability of all these factors converging is so low that the possibility of such an event happening again is virtually impossible. It is highly likely that such an object will remain the only one in modern human history. In any case, if, some time later, an interstellar body with similar orbital characteristics were to approach Earth again, scientists would be the first to declare that aliens were flying toward us—such an unlikely second coincidence would be.

In catalogs and scientific books, 3I/Atlas will, of course, forever remain a comet, as no observations have allowed them to claim otherwise. Those who don't want to give up on the dream of an extraterrestrial ship or probe need not do so. After all, we all understand: if an extraterrestrial civilization, capable of interstellar travel and therefore centuries, or even tens of thousands of years, were to disguise an artificial object as a comet, it's hard to imagine them failing.

Ahead of 3I/Atlas lies the void of space and oblivion. After its flyby of Jupiter, the object will never again encounter any large body in the Solar System. In July of this year, the body will cross the orbit of Saturn, in April 2027, the orbit of Uranus, and in March 2028, the orbit of Neptune. In all these cases, it will be at distances of billions of kilometers from their respective planets. 3I/Atlas will remain within the Solar System (if it is simply a comet) for about five thousand years—that's how long it will take it to reach its outermost boundaries, the far edge of the Oort Cloud.

None of this, however, will be visible. This year, after crossing Saturn's orbit, the celestial body will become invisible even to the largest telescopes.