How do we know 3I/ATLAS, also called comet C/2025 N1 (ATLAS), is interstellar? Will it strike Earth? Can we visit it? Here are all of your questions answered.

On July 1, 2025, a telescope in Chile detected something unexpected: a faint object streaking across the sky at an unusual speed and angle. Within hours, astronomers realized what they were seeing. This wasn’t a comet from the outer reaches of our own solar system,

The third interstellar object detected has been named 3I/ATLAS and was discovered on July 1 from Chile. Astronomers from the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands are tracking it with several telescopes in Tenerife.