3I/ATLAS interstellar comet
3I/ATLAS: tercer objeto interestelar
- Date
- 2025 · confidence high
- Place
- ATLAS Observatory, Río Hurtado, Chile
- Credited to
- ATLAS system (University of Hawaii)
- Field
- Cosmos & Earth
What was discovered
An active comet on a hyperbolic orbit detected in July 2025, the largest and oldest known interstellar visitor, studied by ground-based telescopes, Hubble, Webb and probes at Mars.
Its composition, rich in CO2 and water ice, suggests an origin in the galactic thick disc.
What it led to
- Statistics of the interstellar population
- Preparation of intercept missions (Comet Interceptor)