Comets & Interstellar Visitors: Exploring the Dynamic Sky (A Free, Virtual Lecture)
*The event has already taken place on this date: Thu, 01/22/2026
Please help us keep this calendar up to date! If this activity is sold out, canceled, or otherwise needs alteration, email mindy@kidsoutandabout.com so we can update it immediately. If you have a question about the activity itself, please contact the organization administrator listed below.
The photo is a Hubble Space telescope image of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. Hubble photographed the comet on 21 July 21 2025, when the comet was 365 million kilometers from Earth. Hubble shows that the comet has a teardrop-shaped cocoon of dust coming off its solid, icy nucleus. Because Hubble was tracking the comet moving along a hyperbolic trajectory, the stationary background stars are streaked in the exposure.
On January 22, 2026, at 7:00 PM, ET, Hamptons Observatory and co-host Suffolk County Community College will present a free, virtual lecture by Dr. Ariel Graykowski, a research scientist from the SETI Institute, who will talk about comets, interstellar visitors such as 3I/ATLAS and its unique features, as well as how professionals and citizen scientists are collaborating to explore the dynamic sky in an effort to learn more about our universe. Details and registration information may be found on https://HamptonsObservatory.org
*Times, dates, and prices of any activity posted to our calendars are subject to change. Please be sure to click through directly to the organization’s website to verify.