VISITORS

Aug 5, 2025

Another interstellar object is heading our way. Is it a spaceship? Is it a comet? University of Nottingham astrophysicist Mike Merrifield unpacks the buzz around 3I/ATLAS, only the third known object to enter our solar system from interstellar space. Unlike ‘Oumuamua or Borisov, 3I/ATLAS appears to follow a hyperbolic trajectory and may have fragmented, fueling speculation about its nature. Merrifield walks viewers through what astronomers do and don’t know, cautioning against jumping to alien megastructure theories just yet, but acknowledging the scientific intrigue such rare visitors bring.