Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Stuns Scientists with Surprising Bright Outburst and Ancient Origins
A Visitor From Beyond the Solar System In July 2025, astronomers discovered something extraordinary: a dim, fuzzy comet hurtling toward the inner solar system on a path not bound to the Sun. Follow-up observations confirmed this object – now named 3I/ATLAS (for the ATLAS survey that found it) – was on a hyperbolic trajectory, meaning it came from interstellar space and would soon depart forever Nasa Wikipedia. The “3I” designation marks it as the third interstellar object ever observed, after the asteroid-like 1I/ʻOumuamua and comet 2I/Borisov Nasa. Unlike ʻOumuamua (which was small, oddly shaped, and showed no coma), 3I/ATLAS immediately