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Discovered on July 1 by NASA-supported ATLAS telescopes in Chile, 3I/ATLAS was identified as the third interstellar object confirmed to have passed through our cosmic neighborhood, following 1I/‘Oumuamua in 2017 and comet 2I/Borisov in 2019. Its orbit indicates that it originated from beyond our solar system and will eventually return to interstellar space.

According to the European Space Agency (ESA), at its closest approach the comet will not come closer to Earth than about 1.8 astronomical units (approximately 168 million miles or 270 million kilometers), nearly twice the average Earth–Sun distance. Comet 3I/ATLAS poses no threat to Earth or other planets as it passes through the inner solar system.

Although the comet will remain at a safe distance from Earth, this passage is still important for researchers. By observing 3I/ATLAS at its closest point, astronomers will have the opportunity to study the dust and gases released from its icy nucleus as it is heated by the Sun, gaining rare insight into how comets and planetary materials form around other stars.