The fastest object ever to pass through our solar system has just been spotted — and it came from beyond.
Named Comet 3I/ATLAS, it was first detected on July 1 by the ATLAS sky survey system.

This rare visitor is only the third interstellar object seen in eight years, following ‘Oumuamua and Comet 2I/Borisov.
It travels twice as fast as both and may be much larger.
“It’s like glimpsing a rifle bullet for a thousandth of a second,” said scientist David Jewitt.

Comet 3I/ATLAS could be up to 3.5 miles wide and is releasing gas as it nears the Sun.
Its exact origin is unknown, but scientists suspect it came from the thick disk of the Milky Way.
Researchers are using the Hubble and other telescopes to study its water content.

Some experts, including Harvard’s Avi Loeb, even wonder if it could be artificial.
He gave it a “six out of 10” chance of being engineered.
Whether natural or not, this cosmic traveler is a breathtaking reminder of how vast — and mysterious — our universe is.