As reported Digital appearanceAn external space body goes through the solar system: the Comet W/2025 N1 (Atlas). As the third interstellar object already registered in history, it is also called 3i/Atlas. And the European South European Observatory (ESO) has just published the clearest images made so far of this new visitor.
The images were made by very large telescope (VLT), one of the most powerful telescopes in the world, found in Chile. They show that the comet moves slowly through the sky in a time video made two days after the discovery of the object. According to an ESO statement, it is the best and deepest record ever made by an interstellar object.
3i/Atlas was found on July 1, 2025 by a telescope of the Atlas project, located in Chile and funded by NASA. At that time, the comet was about 670 million km from the Sun. The analysis of the trajectory confirmed a very elongated and open orbit, showing that it comes from outside the solar system.
The object is currently within Jupiter’s orbit, but almost on the opposite side of the Sun, far from the gravitational influence of the planet. Initial estimates indicate that it is about 20 km wide and travels at a speed of approximately 66 km/s. With the gravitational force of the Sun, it must accelerate even more.
It is expected that it will reach the closest point to our mother star in October, but as it will pass behind, your observation will be harmed. The comet will be visible again in December, when it leaves the solar system to the deep space.
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Comet 3i/Atlas was detected eight years after the mysterious 1i/’Oumuamua, whose name, according to NASA, means’ a distant messenger who comes first’ in Hawaiian. This object shaken the scientific community when it arose in 2017, raising suspicions even that it could be an alien spacecraft, due to the unusual form and movement, unexpected acceleration and the lack of a tail that could characterize -as a comet. Between 2019 and 2020, Comet 2i/Borisov also passed.
In addition to the VLT, telescopes spread over the planet will continue to monitor the last “outsider” while still available. The goal is to better understand its appearance, what is done and where it came from. Does this space traveler keep some secret? He is waiting to see!
