Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, only the third known object confirmed to have entered the solar system from interstellar space, is throwing new surprises about its journey. The comet 3I/ATLAS has sparked debate among astronomers and early data hints that it could be a remnant from the early universe. Unlike most comets, which originate in our solar system, this object appears to have come from another galaxy with some researchers even speculating that this could be artificial but this remains controversial.
Michele Bannister, an associate professor at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, is leading a thorough investigation into it, has estimated that the comet 3I/ATLAS could be between eight and 14 billion years old, according to a report in International Business Times UK. The mysterious object is the third confirmed interstellar visitor to our solar system, after 1I/'Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov.
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The discovery has sent shockwaves through the scientific community because the chemistry of the object is fundamentally different from anything we have seen before. As it entered our skies, researchers detected unusually rich atomic nickel and iron emissions, marking it as a true outsider. 'The chemistry of 3I/ATLAS is distinctive relative to our solar system comets, which is one of the things that will tell us what its home environment was like,' Bannister explained. Observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have also confirmed the comet is unusually rich in carbon dioxide, indicating it formed in a frigid environment far from its original parent star.
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As the comet drew closer to its October perihelion, a more distinct tail pointing away from the Sun emerged. Within the Sun-facing structure, jets were detected on seven separate nights. By tracking their motion, researchers uncovered a consistent pattern: the jets shifted approximately every seven hours and forty-five minutes, indicating a slow, systematic precession rather than random activity.
On December 19, 2025, the comet came the closest to Earth, and since then it has been drifting away. It is projected to leave the solar system completely, just like other visitors from other stars.
Michele Bannister, an associate professor at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, is leading a thorough investigation into it, has estimated that the comet 3I/ATLAS could be between eight and 14 billion years old, according to a report in International Business Times UK. The mysterious object is the third confirmed interstellar visitor to our solar system, after 1I/'Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov.
All about the ancient origin of comet 3I/ATLAS
According to estimates, the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS could be around 14 billion old. This means the comet was already ancient when the Sun was just a cloud of dust. 'The UC team, in partnership with Professor Chris Lintott at the University of Oxford, was the first to provide the theoretical study that showed how old the comet was based on its velocity, just days after it was first identified,' Bannister told Astrobiology.ALSO READ: Flight rule change: Use of power banks for in-flight charging barred by DGCA amid lithium battery fire fears
The discovery has sent shockwaves through the scientific community because the chemistry of the object is fundamentally different from anything we have seen before. As it entered our skies, researchers detected unusually rich atomic nickel and iron emissions, marking it as a true outsider. 'The chemistry of 3I/ATLAS is distinctive relative to our solar system comets, which is one of the things that will tell us what its home environment was like,' Bannister explained. Observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have also confirmed the comet is unusually rich in carbon dioxide, indicating it formed in a frigid environment far from its original parent star.
Astronomers discover wobbling jets
Scientists have observed unusual, wobbling jet-like features in its sun-facing anti-tail, suggesting a rotation period of about 15.5 hours. Astronomers identified these changes after monitoring 3I/ATLAS over 37 nights from early July to early September 2025, using the Two-Meter Twin Telescope at the Teide Observatory in Tenerife. Over this period, they observed a noticeable evolution in the comet’s coma. Prior to August, it appeared as a fan-shaped cloud of dust oriented toward the Sun.ALSO READ: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella calls for a big AI reset in 2026, says we need to move beyond...
As the comet drew closer to its October perihelion, a more distinct tail pointing away from the Sun emerged. Within the Sun-facing structure, jets were detected on seven separate nights. By tracking their motion, researchers uncovered a consistent pattern: the jets shifted approximately every seven hours and forty-five minutes, indicating a slow, systematic precession rather than random activity.
On December 19, 2025, the comet came the closest to Earth, and since then it has been drifting away. It is projected to leave the solar system completely, just like other visitors from other stars.
