Big revelation on comet 3I/ATLAS leaves scientists stunned: Interstellar object could be 14 billion years old, older than our Sun? What we know

Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, the third known object confirmed to have entered the solar system from interstellar space, offers new surprises about its journey. Comet 3I/ATLAS has sparked controversy among astronomers, with early data hinting that it may be a remnant from the early universe. Unlike most comets that originate from our solar system, this object appears to have come from another galaxy; Some researchers even suggest that this may be artificial, but this is still controversial.

Michele Bannister, an associate professor at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, has been conducting extensive research on this topic and estimates that comet 3I/ATLAS could be eight to 14 billion years old, according to a report published in International Business Times UK. The mysterious object is the third interstellar visitor to our solar system, after 1I/’Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov.

All about the ancient origins of comet 3I/ATLAS

Estimates suggest that interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS may be around 14 billion years old. This means that the comet was already old when the Sun was just a cloud of dust. Bannister told Astrobiology: ‘The UC team, in partnership with Professor Chris Lintott of the University of Oxford, were the first to provide theoretical work showing how old the comet was based on its speed, just days after it was first identified.
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The discovery sent shockwaves through the scientific community because the object’s chemistry is fundamentally different from anything we’ve seen before. As it entered our skies, researchers detected unusually rich emissions of atomic nickel and iron, pointing to it as a true alien. “The chemistry of 3I/ATLAS is different than comets in our solar system, which is one of the things that will tell us what its home environment is like,” Bannister explained. Observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) also confirmed that the comet was unusually rich in carbon dioxide; This suggests that it formed in a cold environment, far from its original parent star.

Astronomers discover wobbling jets

Scientists observed unusual, wobbling jet-like features in its sun-facing anti-tail, indicating a rotation period of about 15.5 hours. Astronomers identified these changes after monitoring 3I/ATLAS for 37 nights from early July to early September 2025 using the Twin Two Meter Telescope at the Teide Observatory in Tenerife. During this time, they observed a noticeable improvement in the comet’s coma. Before August, it looked like a fan-shaped dust cloud directed towards the Sun.

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As the comet approached perihelion in October, a more prominent tail appeared, moving away from the Sun. Jets were detected in the sun-facing structure on seven separate nights. By tracking their movements, the researchers uncovered a consistent pattern: The jets shifted approximately every seven hours and forty-five minutes; This suggested slow, systematic movement rather than random activity.
On December 19, 2025, the comet came closest to Earth and has been moving away ever since. It is predicted to leave the solar system completely, just like visitors from other stars.