3I/ATLAS: All About New Interstellar Object

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3I/ATLAS was discovered on July 1, 2025, by the NASA-funded Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) survey telescope in Chile

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It's the third confirmed interstellar object to enter our solar system, originating from outside the solar system

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It is travelling at approximately 60-70 kilometres per second and is currently about 670 million kilometres away from the Sun

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Estimates suggest it's around 10-25 kilometres in diameter, although some studies indicate it could be smaller

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It will reach its closest point to the Sun (perihelion) on October 29-30, 2025

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It will be observable from Earth until September, after which it will pass too close to the Sun

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Signs of cometary activity, including a faint coma and short tail, have been detected

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It poses no threat to Earth, with its closest approach to our planet expected to be around 270 million kilometres on December 19, 2025

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