Astronomical researchers have validated that the celestial body 3I/ATLAS, detected in mid-2025 by the observation complex in Chile, travels at an impressive 57 kilometers per second. This rate of displacement on a hyperbolic route definitively attests that the visitor was born far from our cosmic neighborhood. Being the third intruder recognized by science, shortly after the passages of ‘Oumuamua and Borisov, the star will not be captured by the gravitational attraction of our star and will continue its journey into the unknown after bypassing the king star on October 29th. Cutting-edge equipment, including the Hubble and James Webb orbital observatories, recorded a cloud of dust and debris around the nucleus, ruling out any risk of collision with our planet.
The frantic pace of displacement prevents the celestial body from adopting a closed elliptical trajectory, presenting an eccentricity index greater than 6, an unprecedented milestone when compared to previous travelers. Mathematical projections indicate that the closest approach to the Earth will occur in December 2025, maintaining a comfortable safety margin of 1.8 astronomical units away.
3I/ATLAS не находится за Солнцем.
Астрономам сообщили, что межзвездный объект исчезнет за Солнцем во время его перигелия 29 октября. Но новые наблюдения показывают, что это не так.25 октября команда зафиксировала 3I/ATLAS, видимую рядом с Солнцем, а не скрытую.ден.
Позиция: RA 13ч 38м… pic.twitter.com/cqRoIn8PGT— 3I/ATLAS (@3IAtlas_Anomaly) 28 октября 2025 г.
First records and identification of the new cosmic traveler
The Chilean monitoring system captured the first images of the star on the first day of July 2025, when it was still sailing 4.5 astronomical units from the center of our system. Right from the initial analyses, the atypical speed and the absence of any link with local gravity caught the attention of experts.
The official seal on its extrasolar nature came the following day, issued by the Minor Planets Center, which assigned the nomenclature 3I to mark its position as the third documented outsider. Immediately, research centers spread across Chilean territory, as well as bases in Hawaii and the US state of Arizona, turned their lenses on the target, revealing a luminous tail with a length of three seconds of arc.
Searches through image archives captured weeks earlier, still in June of that year, allowed scientists to retrieve old photographic records of the object. This extra material was essential to lengthen the route design and emphasize the hyperbolic nature of the route.
Orbital dynamics and breaking historical speed marks
The mark of 57 kilometers per second sets an absolute new standard for celestial bodies from other regions of the galaxy, leaving behind the 26 km/s of ‘Oumuamua and the 32 km/s of Comet Borisov. This extreme metric, classified by physicists as speed at infinity, serves as irrefutable proof that the piece of ice and rock was expelled from its stellar cradle billions of years ago.
The path taken by the outsider displays a steep tilt of 175 degrees in a retrograde motion, suggesting that it has undergone violent gravitational interactions in the galactic past. The point of closest proximity to our star occurred at a distance of 1.36 astronomical units, positioning itself exactly in the spatial gap that separates the orbits of Earth and Mars.
- Eccentricity level calculated at around 6.14, the highest value ever documented in the history of astronomy;
- Maximum approach to our planet set at 1.8 astronomical units for the end of 2025;
- Escape route pointed directly towards the constellation Virgo, heading back to the deep void of the universe.
Advanced virtual simulations demonstrate that the celestial body will suffer a gravitational slingshot effect during the passage. The force of solar attraction will slightly change the direction of flight, but it will be insufficient to permanently trap the object.
Analysis of the chemical elements present in the structure of the star
Spectroscopic scrutiny showed the existence of chemical substances very similar to those found in local comets, but distributed in completely different proportions, such as the high concentration of nickel gas detected even in very cold areas. During August, the James Webb Telescope’s infrared sensors mapped primordial isotopes and an outer crust severely battered by millennia-old cosmic radiation.
The reddish color of the gas cloud indicates a strong presence of silicate-rich dust, reminiscent of the visual signature of the visiting Borisov, but carrying an unusual load of organohalogen compounds. Equipment from the Nordic Optical Telescope had already confirmed this behavior of diffuse particle emission in the first weeks of observation.
Cross-referencing all this geochemical data, the researchers estimate that the space rock was formed in a time window ranging from 7.6 to 14 billion years. This ancient age connects the object directly to the first generations of stars that illuminated the Milky Way.
Extra thrust generated by forces other than gravitational attraction
Upon reaching the hottest point of his journey, the stranger showed an additional speed gain of 0.02 mm/s², a phenomenon caused by the jet of gases released with the extreme heat, a behavior identical to that recorded by ‘Oumuamua years before. Although this natural push does not alter the escape route, it causes severe degradation in the structure of the nucleus, which is expected to lose half of its total mass in a matter of months.
Information collected by the Swift space observatory identified large reserves of water ice and hydroxyl radicals, justifying the gain in acceleration and ruling out any theory about artificial propulsion. The change in tone to an intense bluish color, noted during the month of October, is the direct result of the violent sublimation of these frozen materials.
Taking advantage of the unique opportunity, the European Space Agency programmed the Juice probe’s instruments to perform a full scan of the target in November, with the aim of mapping the exact pattern of these gaseous emissions.
Fundamental differences from previous outsiders
The pioneer ‘Oumuamua, detected almost a decade ago, had an elongated shape of 400 meters and gained speed by expelling invisible hydrogen, without forming any cloud around it. The second visitor, cataloged in 2019, displayed an active tail full of organic compounds, navigating much more slowly through our cosmic backyard.
The current outsider stands out for its colossal size, with an estimated diameter of between one and ten kilometers, as well as an intense glow that changes its visual signature to bluish tones as it approaches the heat.
- ‘Oumuamua: cigar-shaped structure and inexplicable speed gain at the time;
- Borisov: reddish dust cloud and strong presence of carbon chains;
- 3I/ATLAS: massive ice heart and nickel release over surprising distances.
This abyss of physical and chemical characteristics between the three celestial bodies serves to illustrate the immense diversity of environments that exist in planetary systems spread throughout the universe.
Continuous monitoring and global tracking campaigns
Astronomical complexes installed on dry land have maintained uninterrupted vigil over the target since the end of the year. Boasting a visual magnitude of 14.7, the object can be followed by amateur astronomers using 20-centimeter aperture telescopes, always in the hours before dawn, pointing to the constellation Virgo. In space, the Mars Express probe managed to photograph the intruder from a distance of 19 million kilometers.
During alignment with the Sun at the end of October, the GOES-19 meteorological satellite recorded the passage, attesting that the trajectory remains incredibly stable. A joint international effort, mobilizing the gigantic VLT and Keck observatories, will ensure uninterrupted data collection until at least March 2026.
After surviving the most intimate encounter with our star, the star’s luminosity level has completely stabilized, now displaying a tail divided into four distinct filaments and without any sign of structural fragmentation.
