24/7 Space News
STELLAR CHEMISTRY
NASA discovers third interstellar comet
NASA discovers third interstellar comet
by Andrew Sookdeo
Washington DC (UPI) Jul 3, 2025

NASA discovered the third interstellar comet through a survey telescope in Rio Hurtado, Chile.

The interstellar comet first observed on Tuesday by NASA's Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Alert System telescope, or ATLAS, has been officially named 3I/ATLAS.

A series of "pre-discovery" observations dating back to June 14 from three ATLAS Telescopes globally and the Zwicky Transient Facility in California's Palomar Observatory have since been collected, along with new observations from several telescopes since the initial report.

"If confirmed, it will be the third known interstellar object from outside our solar system that we have discovered," Dr. Mark Norris, a senior lecturer in astronomy at the University of Central Lancashire, told The Guardian.

Dr. Paul Chodas, director of the Center for Near Earth Object Studies at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, told The New York Times there is "no uncertainty" that the comet is from interstellar space, noting speeds that indicate it could not have originated in our solar system.

"If you trace its orbit backward, it seems to be coming from the center of the galaxy, more or less," Chodas said. "It definitely came from another solar system. We don't know which one."

The comet will reach its closest approach to the Sun around Oct. 30, but it shows no threat to Earth as it will remain at least 150 million miles away. It is currently about 416 million miles from the Sun.

In December, the comet is expected to reappear on the other side of the Sun.

The comet's size and physical attributes are being investigated. It is expected to remain visible to ground-based telescopes through September.

Jake Foster, a Royal Observatory Greenwich astronomer, said: "At the moment, the comet is not expected to be visible to the naked eye, but it should be visible through a reasonably sized amateur telescope in late 2025 and early 2026. As it is studied more over the coming weeks, we'll get a better idea of just how visible it will realistically be."

In 2017 Oumunamua traveled through the solar system as the first interstellar object. In 2019, the second interstellar comet, Borisov passed by.

Related Links
Stellar Chemistry, The Universe And All Within It

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
STELLAR CHEMISTRY
UAH researcher unveils new map of Milky Way galaxy in atomic hydrogen
Huntsville AL (SPX) Jun 12, 2025
Dr. Sukanya Chakrabarti, the Pei-Ling Chan Endowed Chair at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of The University of Alabama System, has co-authored a paper that uses young stars to develop a more accurate map of the outer gas disk of the Milky Way galaxy. The findings are being presented at the 246th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Anchorage, Alaska, on June 8-12, in conjunction with Michigan State University (MSU). The study employs a technique the researchers c ... read more

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
NASA to live-stream launches, spacewalks on Netflix

Blue Origin launches six tourists on 13th passenger flight

India, Poland, Hungary make spaceflight comeback with ISS mission

India, Poland, Hungary make spaceflight comeback with ISS mission

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Varda unveils W4 spacecraft with first FAA Part 450 reentry license and new satellite bus

Space X set to launch Transporter-14 rideshare mission

Electrolyzer experiment from SwRI and UTSA to fly in low gravity test mission

NASA completes full-duration 'hot fire' test of new RS-25 engine

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Perseverance reveals clay minerals and sets distance record in Martian exploration

Thick Martian clays may have formed in stable ancient lakebeds

European students complete immersive analog Mars mission in Portugal

Growing Homes On Mars: TAMU Research Pioneers Autonomous Construction Using Synthetic Lichens

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Chinese Long March Rockets Make International Debut at Paris Air Show

China launches international association to boost global access to deep space research

China Shenzhou XX crew advances cognitive and biotech research aboard Tiangong

Chinese rocket delivers e-commerce packages in sea recovery test

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Rocket Lab clears key design milestone for SDA low Earth orbit constellation

ULA, Amazon launch second batch of satellites on Atlas V rocket

German space startup secures new funding

Collaboration aims to protect radio astronomy from satellite signal interference

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
A New Alloy is Enabling Ultra-Stable Structures Needed for Exoplanet Discovery

EU's Space Act would track space objects and clear satellite debris

Q-Tech expands rad-hardened oscillator line to boost new space platform designs

US Radar Test Marks Milestone in Missile Threat Detection Capabilities

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Meteorite amino acid triggers nanocavity formation in common clay

James Webb reveals sub-Saturn mass exoplanet in young star system

Earth-sized planets commonly found around smallest stars reveals CARMENES data

Earth sized planets frequently orbit red dwarf stars study finds

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Unexpected Dust Patterns Found on Uranus Moons Confound Scientists

SwRI study shows Europa's icy surface constantly reshaping

The hunt for mysterious 'Planet Nine' offers up a surprise

Jupiter Was Formerly Twice Its Current Size and Had a Much Stronger Magnetic Field

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.