Astronomers Study Third Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS

Astronomers worldwide are studying 3I/ATLAS (C/2025 N1), the third confirmed interstellar object to enter our solar system, after its discovery by the ATLAS telescope on July 1, 2025. The comet, about 20 kilometers in diameter and traveling at roughly 60 km/s, is larger and faster than its predecessors, 'Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov, and shows a bright coma indicating abundant primordial organic materials. Its hyperbolic orbit and high velocity confirm its origin from outside the solar system, specifically the thick disk of the Milky Way, suggesting it may be over seven billion years old. Observatories such as Gemini North in Hawai‘i and the Indian Astronomical Observatory in Ladakh have captured detailed images and timelapse videos, aiding both scientific research and public outreach. The comet will reach its closest point to the Sun in late October 2025 and will pass near Earth in December. These observations offer an unprecedented opportunity to study materials from another star system and better understand planetary system formation.