- 3I/ATLAS was first detected on July 1, 2025, by the Asteroid Terrestrial‑impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) telescope in Chile. NASA Science+2Space+2
- Its full designation: 3I/ATLAS (C/2025 N1). The “3I” indicates it is the third known interstellar object (an object not bound by the Sun's gravity) after 1I/ʻOumuamua and 2I/Borisov. Space+1
- Observations show comet-like activity: a coma (cloud of dust/gas around the nucleus) and perhaps a tail. Which is why scientists mostly call it a comet rather than an asteroid. NASA Science+2Space+2
- Importantly: its trajectory is hyperbolic (i.e., it’s coming into the solar system from interstellar space and will leave again) — so it isn’t orbiting the Sun like typical comets or asteroids. Space+1
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