space
In 2025, scientists spotted a fast, icy visitor zooming through our Solar System that didn't come from anywhere near the Sun.
What made 3I/ATLAS special is that it was only the third comet ever discovered coming from outside our own Solar System, meaning it originated around another star entirely and simply passed through on its way back into deep space. Its interstellar origin was confirmed by tracking its unusual, hyperbolic path, which showed it wasn't gravitationally bound to our Sun the way ordinary comets are.
It was not a piece of the Moon, since Moon fragments don't travel between star systems, and it never crashed into Earth, since it simply zoomed past on a trajectory that carried it through and back out of our Solar System.
Interstellar objects like this are exceedingly rare finds, giving scientists a rare, fleeting chance to study material that formed around a completely different star than our own.
space
Which SpaceX rocket has been undergoing iterative test flights, including a major "V3" upgrade in 2026, on the path toward Mars missions?What are these glowing lights in the sky called?What did scientists say about Saturn's moons in 2025?What is this mission's goal?What was this February 2026 SpaceX crew rotation mission to the ISS called?Which side of the Moon did Chang'e-6 collect the first-ever returned samples from?Which planet does the icy moon Europa travel around?What do we call the round object that orbits Earth and lights up the night?What do we call this floating home in space?What is this newly imaged exoplanet called?What are groups of stars that form a picture called?What is the name of the star at the center of our Solar System?Quration — Quration Kids