In the vast, silent expanse of our solar system, a new visitor has sparked a familiar question: are we truly alone? For those who grew up on a diet of science fiction, the discovery of 3I/ATLAS—the third interstellar object ever found in our neighbourhood — carried the tantalising possibility of being more than just a lump of ice.
Named as the third 'interstellar' (I) object after 1I/'Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov, the body was found racing into our system at a staggering 137,000 miles per hour (221,000 kilometres per hour). However, a new study has effectively closed the book on the 'alien probe' theory, replacing speculation with the cold, hard data of modern astronomy.
