The Interstellar Visitor — 3I/ATLAS

In the vast silence between the stars, a traveler from another world has entered our solar system.

Comet 3I/ATLAS, discovered on July 1, 2025, is no ordinary comet — it’s an interstellar wanderer, born in another star system, now blazing a path through ours.
Only the third interstellar object ever detected, 3I/ATLAS is offering scientists a once-in-a-lifetime chance to study a messenger from the depths of space.

Racing through the inner solar system, it sweeps inside the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, glowing brighter as sunlight ignites its icy surface. Then, as quickly as it came, it will vanish again — forever.

From Earth, NASA’s Hubble, Webb, and SPHEREx telescopes have already captured its mysterious light. Soon, robotic explorers across the solar system will take their turn — including NASA’s Europa Clipper, which may glimpse the comet as it slips behind the Sun this fall.

On October 3rd, 3I/ATLAS will make its closest pass to Mars, coming within 17 million miles — close enough for a cosmic handshake, far enough to remain untouchable.
By December, it will once again emerge from the Sun’s glare, visible to telescopes on Earth before speeding toward its final encounter with Jupiter in March 2026.

After that, it will drift back into the interstellar dark — a spark fading into eternity.

And for those wondering — 3I/ATLAS poses no danger to Earth. Its nearest distance to us is a safe 1.8 astronomical units, or 170 million miles away.

🚀 Follow the Journey:
🔗 go.nasa.gov/3IATLAS

🌍 Watch its real-time path: NASA Eyes on the Solar System

“A visitor from beyond the stars… here for a brief hello before disappearing forever.”