Space agencies, including NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), are closely monitoring 3I/ATLAS using a variety of telescopes and spacecraft.
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Space agencies, including NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), are closely monitoring 3I/ATLAS using a variety of telescopes and spacecraft.
In an unprecedented astronomical event, interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS has entered our solar system, captivating scientists and sparking debates about its origins. Discovered on July 1, 2025, by the ATLAS telescope in Chile, this comet is only the third known interstellar object to pass through our celestial neighborhood, following ‘Oumuamua in 2017 and 2I/Borisov in 2019.
Unlike typical comets that follow elliptical orbits, 3I/ATLAS follows a hyperbolic trajectory, indicating it is on a one-way path through our solar system and will not return. Its speed is equally remarkable, traveling at approximately 209,000 km/h (130,000 mph), the fastest ever recorded for a solar system visitor.
The comet’s nucleus is estimated to be between 440 meters and 5.6 kilometers in diameter, and its coma—the cloud of gas and dust surrounding the nucleus—has been observed to contain water and carbon dioxide ice. These findings suggest that 3I/ATLAS is a frozen relic from another star system, offering a unique opportunity to study the composition of interstellar material.
The unusual characteristics of 3I/ATLAS have led some scientists to speculate about its origins. Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb has proposed that the comet could be an artificial probe sent by an extraterrestrial civilization. He points to its high speed, unusual trajectory, and the absence of expected non-gravitational acceleration as potential indicators of an artificial origin. However, this hypothesis remains controversial, and the majority of scientists categorize 3I/ATLAS as a natural comet.
3I/ATLAS made its closest approach to Mars on October 3, 2025, passing within 18 million miles (29 million kilometers) of the planet. It is expected to reach perihelion—the point in its orbit closest to the Sun—on October 29-30, 2025, at a distance of approximately 1.8 AU (270 million kilometers) from Earth. The comet will continue its journey out of the solar system, passing near Jupiter in March 2026.
Space agencies, including NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), are closely monitoring 3I/ATLAS using a variety of telescopes and spacecraft. The Hubble Space Telescope has captured detailed images of the comet’s coma, while the James Webb Space Telescope has provided spectroscopic data on its composition. ESA’s Mars Express and NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have also observed the comet during its flyby of Mars.
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