A mysterious object hurtling through our solar system may be older than the Sun and promises unprecedented insight into the ancient astrophysical processes that shaped the Milky Way. Astronomers believe the interstellar visitor designated 3I/ATLAS originated far outside our stellar neighbourhood and may predate the Sun by billions of years, potentially making it the oldest comet ever analysed by humans.
According to co-author Chris Lintott of the University of Oxford, observations of the incoming trajectory and motion of 3I/ATLAS make it 'very likely to be the oldest comet we have ever seen'. A new statistical analysis estimates the object could be between 7.6 and 14 billion years old, far exceeding the approximate 4.6 billion-year age of the Sun.
