What is the 3I/ATLAS comet?

By: Jadelyn Law

As the year of 2026 progresses (slowly yet surely), there has already been a slew of exciting scientific discoveries.

Although this interstellar object ⸺ the third one to be officially confirmed in the entirety of our solar system’s timeline⸺has been on the radar since the first of July, 3I/ATLAS has been making recent headlines as it nears Earth. 3I/ATLAS, named for its third position as an interstellar classification, will stray within 167 million miles of Earth on the ninth of January. It is named after the Asteroid Terrestrial Impact Last Alert System or ATLAS, which first detected the comet. Fortunately, the comet poses absolutely no threat to Earth nor to any of the surrounding planets. It will not come remotely close to the sphere of Earth.

Astronomers at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have been closely following the comet after its “discovery” by a NASA-funded alert system in Rio Hurtado, Chile. Since then, NASA has been made aware that there were several previous reports that most likely recorded 3I/ATLAS unwittingly, with some even dating back to mid-June. 

The interstellar object, being the third ever officially confirmed interstellar object in our solar system, is obviously an thrilling discovery for scientists and the general population alike. Sadly, the excitement will be coming to an end. By Saturday, 3I/ATLAS will continue its journey in space, visiting Jupiter on a much closer scale. By the mid 2030s, the comet will have traveled into interstellar space to never be seen again.

The comet is moving at an extremely fast pace, 137,000 miles per hour, as of the last speed-related recording in July. Due to its particularly speedy pace, the gravitational pull of the Sun⸺the same pull that can hold planets from billions of miles away⸺ is unable to hold the same captivation that it has on other planets.

3I/ATLAS will soon pass, and its momentous journey will come to a close within the next ten years. It may seem boringly slow, but it is surprisingly fast relative to most comets of its size and nature.

As the comet’s route evolves, it is unlikely to change pace or direction. In the event that it does, 3I/ATLAS will continue to make headlines.