Comet 3I/ATLAS: The Interstellar “Ghost Comet” Haunting Our Solar System This Halloween
What is Comet 3I/ATLAS? An Interstellar Visitor from Beyond Image: Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, captured by the Gemini South Observatory in late 2025, showing a diffuse coma and tail against the stars. This “ghostly” haze of gas and dust confirms that 3I/ATLAS is an active comet venting material as it nears the Sun. space.com en.wikipedia.org Comet 3I/ATLAS is a rare celestial visitor that truly doesn’t belong in our solar system. Officially designated 3I/ATLAS (for “3rd Interstellar” object, discovered by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System), it was first spotted on July 1, 2025 by an ATLAS telescope in Chile esa.int en.wikipedia.org. Within