Editor's note: This is the original ESA news article published shortly after the discovery of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS in July 2025. For the latest updates and ESA observations of the comet, click here. Astronomers have confirmed the discovery of a rare celestial visitor: a comet from beyond our Solar System.Officially named 3I/ATLAS, this newly identified interstellar object is only the third of its kind ever observed, following the famous 1I/ʻOumuamua in 2017 and 2I/Borisov in 2019.