When an unknown object from the depths of interstellar space tumbles through our cosmic neighbourhood, it is bound to capture our imagination. Named 3I/ATLAS and officially designated C/2025 N1 (ATLAS), The sudden appearance of a visitor from another star system inevitably sparks debate and, for some, hopes of a first contact. The third such object ever discovered, 3I/ATLAS, is no different.
Despite sensational claims that 3I/ATLAS may be an alien spaceship, a wealth of scientific observation confirms a far more natural, and arguably more fascinating, origin. This is not a probe from a distant corner of the Milky Way; the evidence overwhelmingly shows it is a comet.
