On 1 July 2025, astronomers using the ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) survey telescope in Rio Hurtado, Chile, detected a faint, fast-moving object unlike anything seen before.
Astrophysicist Avi Loeb has become a minor celebrity of science since a mysterious object named 3I/ATLAS was first spotted over the summer. Most researchers think it's an intriguing interstellar comet ...