Few cosmic visitors have captured the fascination of astronomers quite like the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. Hurtling through our solar system from the depths of interstellar space, this icy wanderer is only the third known object of its kind, and where it came from remains a mystery.
Since its discovery on July 1, 2025, by the Deep Random Survey remote telescope in Chile, part of the ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) project, scientists have raced to point telescopes toward the visitor as experts and the public are eager for a closer look. Even NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope recently caught glimpses of this icy comet as it continues moving toward our sun.
