Scientists trace latest interstellar comet’s home to a cold, isolated corner of the Milky Way
This image, provided by NASA, shows the interstellar comet 3I/Atlas captured by the Hubble Space Telescope on Nov. 30, 2025, about 178 million miles (286 million kilometers) from Earth. (NASA, ESA, STScI, D. -T. Hui (Shanghai Astronomical Observatory), J. DePasquale (STScI) via AP, File) 2026-04-23T09:11:02Z CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.
(AP) — The comet that rambled past us from another star last year likely originated in a cold, isolated corner of the galaxy that had yet to gel into its own solar system, astronomers reported Thursday. Comet 3I/Atlas is only the third interstellar visitor to be confirmed and quite possibly the oldest.
Scientists estimate it could be up to 11 billion years old, more than twice as old as the…
What Happened
This image, provided by NASA, shows the interstellar comet 3I/Atlas captured by the Hubble Space Telescope on Nov. 30, 2025, about 178 million miles (286 million kilometers) from Earth. (NASA, ESA, STScI, D. -T. Hui (Shanghai Astronomical Observatory), J. DePasquale (STScI) via AP, File) 2026-04-23T09:11:02Z CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.
(AP) — The comet that rambled past us from another star last year likely originated in a cold, isolated corner of the galaxy that had yet to gel into its own solar system, astronomers reported Thursday. Comet 3I/Atlas is only the third interstellar visitor to be confirmed and quite possibly the oldest.
Scientists estimate it could be up to 11 billion years old, more than twice as old as the sun. A team led by the University of Michigan used the ALMA observatory in Chile’s Atacama Desert to examine the comet last fall.
The errant but harmless iceball was discovered last summer, giving NASA and the European Space Agency plenty of time to aim multiple space telescopes at it as it zoomed past Mars in October and made its closest approach to Earth in December.
Why It Matters
This item is relevant to the SignsWatch signal category “Signs in the Heavens” because it describes a development that may contribute to wider risk, instability, public concern, or prophetic-pattern monitoring. The source is Associated Press.
Implications
Watch for confirmation from additional sources, follow-on developments, escalation signals, official responses, and whether this remains isolated or becomes part of a broader pattern under “Signs in the Heavens”.