What We Know About 3I/ATLAS
3I/ATLAS is the third known interstellar object after ʻOumuamua (2017) and 2I/Borisov (2019).
It was discovered in 2025 and is moving on a hyperbolic orbit, meaning it came from outside the solar system and won’t return.
Early observations show it behaves like a comet — with a diffuse coma and tail caused by sublimating ices.
Viral posts suggest JWST picked up artificial “lights” or city-like glows inside the comet.
In reality, JWST observes in infrared and detects heat signatures, reflected sunlight, and chemical fingerprints, not artificial lighting.
Bright spots in its data often come from:
Jets of gas/dust venting off the comet’s surface.
Sunlight reflecting off ice grains.
Background stars or galaxies in the line of sight.