Overview

• The object’s highly hyperbolic orbit, with an eccentricity of 6.2, distinguishes it as the third confirmed interstellar visitor to our solar system.
• Spectroscopic data from Gemini’s Multi-Object Spectrograph reveal a compact coma and developing tail, though clear gas signatures remain elusive, fueling classification debates.
• Current estimates place 3I/ATLAS roughly 12–20 kilometers in diameter, making it far larger than ʻOumuamua and Borisov.
• The comet lies about 465 million kilometers from Earth within Jupiter’s orbit and will reach perihelion at 210 million kilometers on October 30 before coming within 270 million kilometers of our planet in December.
• Astronomers worldwide are coordinating follow-up studies and preparing for the Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s LSST survey to track 3I/ATLAS and uncover future interstellar objects.