Imagine a piece of rock and ice, forged in the violent crucible of a star system millions of years ago, finally arriving on your doorstep. Since July 2025, that is exactly what the global scientific community has been grappling with: the arrival of a new, unexpected visitor from outside our Solar System, the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS.
Confirmed as only the third object of its kind to pass through our cosmic neighbourhood, its mere existence is a precious scientific opportunity, but it has quickly become a focal point of intense controversy.
