The comet reached its “perigee” point 210 million km from the sun, equivalent to 1.4 times the distance between Earth and the sun, in a location that our star currently obscures from direct observation from Earth. However, scientific reports have begun to confirm the possibility of observing it again through advanced ground telescopes.

This comet is the third interstellar body to be observed in our solar system, which gives scientists an unprecedented opportunity to study its unique chemical composition, which indicates its origin from another solar system than 7 billion years ago, that is, older than our solar system itself.

Despite the exceptional scientific value of this discovery, astronomers warn against being carried away by unproven speculation about the origins of the comet, noting that focusing on the alien hypothesis may obscure the real and most exciting scientific facts.

This comet is the third interstellar object (hence the name “3I”) to be observed passing through our solar system. When scientists first spotted it on July 1, 2025, with the Asteroid Last Alert System (ATLAS), one of the first questions people asked was: “Is it aliens?”

This was not the first time that the question of aliens had been raised in the context of a new astronomical discovery. Similar speculation about aliens arose when the first two interstellar objects were discovered: ‘Oumuamua (1I/2017 U1) and Comet Borisov (2I/Borisov).

Comet 3I/ATLAS may be the oldest thing we’ve ever seen in our solar system. Our solar system formed 4.6 billion years ago, while recent research indicates that comet 3I/ATLAS may be than 7 billion years old.

It spent much of that time hurtling across the universe, spending only a few months in our solar system. When the comet reached perihelion, it may have been the closest it had come to a star in at least millions of years.

Research has shown that the comet contains a greater amount of carbon dioxide in its outer layers than is seen in most comets in our solar system. It also has a higher ratio of nickel to other elements than local comets. These chemical fingerprints give us a unique look at the chemical composition of the gas cloud that formed the solar system from which the comet came.

Scientists warn that focusing on the alien hypothesis may obscure real scientific discoveries. Every minute wasted discussing unproven hypotheses is a minute wasted of time for careful scientific monitoring and analysis. This debate also opens the door to the spread of misinformation and rumours.

The European Space Agency is moving to monitor the comet using space missions such as the Mars Express probe, the ExoMars probe, and the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, while scientists continue to study its unique properties. Scientists stress that our lack of a complete understanding of all the characteristics of the comet does not mean that it was made by aliens, but rather simply means that we have scientific work ahead of us.

Source: ScienceAlert