A Mystery Object in the Night Sky

Have you ever looked up at the sky and seen what looked like a moving star? It might just be a jet, a helicopter, or a drone. But sometimes, it can be a comet.

Usually, comets orbit around the sun within our solar system. These are called intrasolar comets. Intra means within, and solar means sun. So when they are put together, they mean “within the sun” or “within the solar system.” As comets approach the sun, their tails get brighter, making them easier to see with the naked eye.

But this comet is a special kind of comet. In fact, it does not come from our solar system. Its name is 3I/ATLAS. From its name, we can learn a lot of things. “3I” means that it is the third interstellar object. Inter means from, and stellar means star. This means that interstellar objects like 3I/ATLAS come from stars outside the solar system.

ATLAS, short for Asteroid Terrestrial Impact Last Alert System, is the name of the telescope that discovered 3I/ATLAS. 3I/ATLAS came closest to Earth on December 19, 2025, at a distance of 1.7 AU. An astronomical unit is the distance from the Sun to Earth, which is about 150 million kilometers.

3I/ATLAS has an apparent magnitude of +11, meaning you will need a telescope to see it. It has been visible from Earth since mid-November 2025 and will remain visible until mid-2026, with the best viewing time in December and January.

Astronomers know that 3I/ATLAS comes from outside our solar system because it follows a hyperbolic trajectory. A hyperbolic trajectory is the path followed by an object in free fall as it approaches a celestial body, shaped like a hyperbola. This type of path usually occurs when an object passes through the gravitational influence of a celestial body without becoming trapped in orbit. Objects that orbit the sun have circular or elliptical orbits. Objects with a hyperbolic trajectory have enough speed to escape the solar system. In fact, 3I/ATLAS moves at a whopping speed of 56 km/s! Because it comes from beyond our solar system and is only the third interstellar object ever discovered, astronomers are eager to study its rare and unusual properties.

Objects like 3I/ATLAS show us how amazing God’s creation is. So whenever we look up and see all the stars and planets, we can remember that God created all of these things. As Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”

So, what are you waiting for? Go get your telescopes and look for 3I/ATLAS before it is too late!