
Imagine flying through space at speeds that defy the rules of our solar system, only for scientists to observe behaviour that challenges everything we thought we knew about cosmic wanderers. Astronomers are baffled by new information about the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, which cannot be explained by gravity and sunlight alone.
This comes as asteroid 99942 Apophis is set to approach Earth in 2029. The NASA-funded ATLAS survey in Chile first spotted 3I/ATLAS on July 1, 2025. It is only the third confirmed interstellar visitor to our solar system, following 'Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov.