New York, July 28: Scientists have revealed startling new details about 3I/ATLAS, a mysterious interstellar object hurtling through our solar system. First detected on July 1, 2025, by the ATLAS survey telescope in Chile, the cosmic object is estimated to measure between 10 to 20 kilometres in diameter, making it larger than Mount Everest and the biggest interstellar visitor ever observed.

Researchers analysing early data from the Vera C Rubin Observatory and other advanced space telescopes, including Hubble and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), suggest that the comet’s nucleus is around 11.2 kilometres wide. The sheer size of 3I/ATLAS dwarfs previous interstellar objects such as 'Oumuamua (0.4 km) and Comet Borisov (1 km). 3I/ATLAS: Should We Panic About the New Interstellar Comet?

Natural Comet or Alien Tech?

While most scientists believe 3I/ATLAS is a natural comet composed of ice, dust, and gas, Harvard astrophysicist Professor Avi Loeb has suggested it could be of alien origin, due to its extraordinary speed of 130,000 mph and unusual trajectory. Asteroids and Comets: What's the Difference?

Despite the alien theories, the object has been categorised as interstellar due to its hyperbolic orbit, meaning it is simply passing through the solar system and will eventually head back into deep space. Researchers believe it could be around 3 billion years older than our sun. That would make it one of the oldest comets ever observed. Yet not all scientists are convinced this is a typical icy traveller.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 28, 2025 05:28 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).