3I/ATLAS, also known as C/2025 N1, is an interstellar object now passing through our Solar System. Since its discovery, it has drawn intense interest from astronomers for its chemical make-up and for what it might reveal about materials formed beyond our star system. Researchers are using some of the world's most powerful telescopes to study its composition and behaviour as it nears the Sun.
Unlike most known comets, 3I/ATLAS has shown early water release far from the Sun and unusually high levels of carbon dioxide. These signs suggest it formed under very different conditions from those in our Solar System. Its carbon-rich chemistry challenges assumptions about how icy bodies develop in deep space and provides a glimpse of how planetary materials might vary across the galaxy.
