Sun just blasted this interstellar object with massive coronal ejection
The Sun just blasted the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS with a massive coronal mass ejection (CME)—a pretty rare space event.
Discovered in July 2025 and racing through our solar system at over 220570km/h, this visitor is giving scientists a unique chance to see how something from outside our solar system handles direct hits from a coronal mass ejection (CME) of plasma and magnetic fields.
3I/ATLAS will swing past Mars next week
Next week, 3I/ATLAS will swing past Mars at about 1.67 million miles away.
Astronomers are eager to watch its reaction as it gets closer to the Sun's influence, especially since it has unusual features like a super high carbon dioxide-to-water ratio and a weird path near Jupiter, Mars, and Venus.
At over 33 billion tons and at least three miles wide, it's the biggest known interstellar object we've seen—so its journey could teach us a lot about what's out there beyond our own solar system.