Mysterious Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Streaks Across Our Solar System
Astronomers have confirmed a newly detected object passing through our solar system is an interstellar comet – only the third such visitor ever identified. Officially named 3I/ATLAS, it originated outside our solar system and will eventually depart it, having been first spotted by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) telescope in Río Hurtado, Chile.
NASA confirmed the object’s trajectory using pre-discovery observations dating back to June 14th from three ATLAS telescopes globally and the Zwicky Transient Facility at California’s Palomar Observatory. “Numerous telescopes have reported additional observations since the object was first reported,” NASA stated. Astronomers worldwide are now analyzing the comet’s size and physical properties.
Current Location & Path:
- Positioned ~670 million km from Earth (near Jupiter’s orbit)
- Will pass safely at 240 million km from Earth
- Closest solar approach: October 30th (~210 million km / 1.4 AU – inside Mars’ orbit)
- Visible via ground telescopes until September, then obscured by solar proximity
NASA anticipates renewed visibility “by early December” after the comet re-emerges from behind the Sun, enabling further study. Its journey confirms it as a true interstellar traveler – neither originating from nor bound to our solar system.
