This ancient comet could unlock secrets of the Milky Way
Say hello to 3I/ATLAS, a comet discovered in late June that's just the third known visitor from outside our solar system.
Its unusual path hints it was formed in a place where old and young stars coexist—possibly even before our Sun existed.
Scientists think studying it could help us piece together how the Milky Way first formed.
Comet will be visible until September 2025
3I/ATLAS will make its closest pass to the Sun on October 30, 2025, but there's no danger—it'll stay about 270 million kilometers from Earth.
Researchers have tracked its epic four-million-year journey using Gaia telescope data and found it hasn't crossed paths with any nearby stars, supporting ideas that it was kicked out of an ancient planetary system.
The comet will be visible until September 2025, giving scientists a rare chance to study what it's made of before it heads back into deep space.