Mystery interstellar object could be oldest known comet

Astronomers have discovered a mysterious interstellar object, potentially the oldest comet known as 3I/Atlas, which could be billions of years older than our solar system. The object, detected by the ESO's Very Large Telescope, was first sighted on July 1, 2025, and may have originated from the Milky Way's "thick disk." This remarkable finding was presented at the Royal Astronomical Society's meeting in Durham, with University of Oxford astronomers excited about the possibility of studying this fascinating interstellar visitor further.