Government2025

ATLAS survey discovers interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS

Name: ATLAS survey discovers interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS
Start: 2025-07-01
Location: Rio Hurtado, Chile

When: 1 Jul 2025
Where: Rio Hurtado, Chile
Sources: 2 public sources

Gemini North image of 3I/ATLAS taken days after the ATLAS survey found it in July 2025 International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/K. Meech, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The NASA-funded ATLAS survey telescope in Rio Hurtado, Chile, found a fast object on an interstellar path, reported to the Minor Planet Center on July 1, 2025. Named 3I/ATLAS, it was only the third known interstellar visitor and was classified as a comet.

Sources

OfficialComet 3I/ATLAS Facts and FAQs (opens in a new tab)NASA Science
PressThird interstellar visitor discovered racing through our solar system (opens in a new tab)Astronomy magazine / 2025-07-03

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