The Digital Press

The interstellar object 3I/ATLAS made its closest approach to Mars on October 3, 2025, at a distance of about 18 million miles, marking a rare opportunity for multiple space agencies to observe it closely using Mars orbiters. This comet, traveling at an unprecedented speed of roughly 130,000 mph, is the third known visitor from outside our solar system and is expected to reach its closest point to the sun later in October.

Why it matters: Coordinated observations by NASA and ESA spacecraft around Mars aim to gather unique data on this rare interstellar visitor.

The big picture: 3I/ATLAS likely originated from the Milky Way’s thin disk and offers insights into the population of icy planetesimals in our galaxy.

Stunning stat: The comet is moving at about 130,000 mph, the highest velocity recorded for a solar system visitor.

Commenters say: Enthusiasm surrounds the intense observation campaign and curiosity about the comet’s survival over billions of years, while some note NASA’s broad focus on 3I/ATLAS and wonder about detection improvements in recent years.