A New Stellar Celebrity: Comet 3I/ATLAS

On July 1, 2025, a remote telescope in Chile unveiled a sensational find: Comet 3I/ATLAS, a dazzling new member of our solar system that’s not bound by the Sun's gravity. Wonderfully atypical, this comet hails from beyond our solar neighborhood, making it just the third known interstellar object to glide into our cosmic realm. But here's the kicker—it's the largest and brightest of its kind ever observed!

NASA's SPHEREx Takes Center Stage

Scientists around the world are turning their gaze toward this newcomer, with NASA's cutting-edge observatory SPHEREx leading the charge. SPHEREx, which stands for "Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer," has made remarkable discoveries: it detected a treasure trove of carbon dioxide gas swirling in the comet's fuzzy halo, alongside the presence of water ice nestled within its nucleus.

Revealing the Secrets of Cometary Origins

This groundbreaking observation sheds light on the differences and similarities between the comets of our solar system and those born in distant star systems. According to Johns Hopkins University's astronomer Carey Lisse, the abundance of vaporized carbon dioxide around 3I/ATLAS suggests it could share characteristics with typical solar system comets, revealing intriguing interstellar connections.

The Building Blocks of Comets