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.

In a race against time, clouds and the setting sun, photographer Josh Dury captured this dramatic photograph of Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) at dusk on Jan. 15.

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

January 2025 hosts extraordinary celestial events, including the rare appearance of Comet G3 ATLAS, visible once every 160,000 years. Optimal viewing

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

January 13, 2025, as Comet G3 ATLAS (C/2024) reaches its peak brightness. This once-in-a-lifetime spectacle marks the comet's closest approach to the Sun, bringing it within 8.7 million miles of the Sun at its perihelion.

Comet G3 ATLAS is set to shine at its brightest this week, potentially outshining Venus and Jupiter. G3 ATLASs orbit is so big that it takes roughly 160,000 year to go around the Sun. As it approaches perihelion on January 13,