Relevance for UPSC: GS Paper III – Science & Technology (Space Science)

Astronomers around the world are tracking 3I/ATLAS, the third confirmed interstellar object to pass through our solar system. Discovered in July 2025, it is moving on a hyperbolic trajectory, confirming that it originated from beyond the Sun’s gravitational influence.

Key Details

  • Closest approach to the Sun (Perihelion): Around October 29, 2025, at a distance of approximately 1.36 astronomical units (AU).
  • Speed: Travelling at more than 200,000 km per hour, much faster than typical comets.
  • Appearance: Though it shows comet-like activity, it behaves differently — suggesting it may have formed under unique conditions outside our solar system.

Scientific Significance

Studying 3I/ATLAS provides scientists with a rare opportunity to examine materials and compositions that formed around other stars. Earlier, only two interstellar visitors — ‘Oumuamua (2017) and Comet Borisov (2019) — had been identified.

Understanding its structure and motion can help astronomers:

  • Learn about the chemical diversity of distant planetary systems.
  • Improve models of solar system formation and interstellar travel.
  • Enhance global cooperation in space observation and early detection of interstellar objects.

Why It Matters for India

As India expands its space research and planetary science programs under the National Space Policy, such discoveries enhance opportunities for international collaboration, data sharing, and deep-space research capacity.

UPSC Prelims Question

Which of the following statements about 3I/ATLAS are correct?

  1. It is the third confirmed interstellar object to pass through our solar system.
  2. It follows a hyperbolic path, confirming its interstellar origin.
  3. It made its closest approach to the Sun at around 1.36 AU.

Select the correct answer:
 (a) 1 and 2 only (b) 1 and 3 only (c) 2 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3
 Answer: (d)

One-line Wrap:

3I/ATLAS — a traveler from another star — offers a fleeting glimpse into the mysteries of worlds beyond our solar system.

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