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3I/ATLAS Confirmed as Third Interstellar Object, Set to Fly Past Mars

The discovery reveals the largest known interstellar visitor to date, which will approach within 0.4 AU of Mars in October 2025.

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Overview

  • NASA and the Minor Planet Center have officially verified the object’s discovery and designated it 3I/ATLAS.
  • Orbit calculations show a hyperbolic trajectory with eccentricity well above 1, confirming an interstellar origin and ruling out any threat to Earth.
  • Preliminary analyses estimate a diameter of roughly 20 kilometres, making it the largest interstellar visitor recorded so far.
  • Ground-based observatories will continue tracking 3I/ATLAS through September as it moves deeper into the inner Solar System.
  • In October 2025 the object is projected to pass about 0.4 AU from Mars, offering potential imaging opportunities for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.