Scientists probe cosmic visitor from deep space, come up empty in search for alien life
Key takeaways
- Last summer, a NASA-funded asteroid impact warning system detected a mysterious object speeding through the solar system.
- Scientists determined the object had entered the solar system from deep space, making it the third known object to have come from another star system.
- NASA called it Comet 3I/ATLAS and said it didn’t pose a threat.
An image captured by the Hubble Space Telescope shows the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS on July 21, 2025, when the comet was 277 million miles from Earth. (NASA / European Space Agency via Associated Press) By Ruben Vives Staff Writer Follow June 5, 2026 7:42 PM PT 3 min Click here to listen to this article Share via Close extra sharing options Email Facebook X Linked In Threads Reddit Whats App Copy Link URL Copied! Print 0:00 0:00 1x This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.
Last summer, a NASA-funded asteroid impact warning system detected a mysterious object speeding through the solar system.
Scientists determined the object had entered the solar system from deep space, making it the third known object to have come from another star system.