3I/ATLAS identified as third interstellar object in solar system

Astronomers have detected 3I/ATLAS, the third confirmed interstellar object to enter our solar system. The object was first spotted on July 1, 2025, by the ATLAS survey telescope, which is funded by NASA and located in Chile.

Scientists determined the object was interstellar because its orbit was too pronounced and its velocity too high to be a standard comet or a near-Earth asteroid. Detected near the shadow of Jupiter at a distance of approximately 680 million kilometers from Earth, the object is expected to be studied by astronomers worldwide for several months to gain insights into its system of origin.