
When astronomers first spotted 3I/ATLAS on 1 July 2025 using the ATLAS survey telescope in Chile, it was immediately clear that this was no ordinary space rock.
As only the third confirmed interstellar object ever recorded - after ʻOumuamua in 2017 and 2I/Borisov in 2019 - 3I/ATLAS sparked attention for its icy core enveloped by a coma, the luminous halo of gas and dust.