Older Than The Sun? The Jaw-Dropping Secrets Hiding In Interstellar Wanderer 3I/ATLAS

A mysterious object hurtling through our solar system may be older than the Sun and promises unprecedented insight into the ancient astrophysical processes that shaped the Milky Way. Astronomers believe the interstellar visitor designated 3I/ATLAS originated far outside our stellar neighbourhood and may predate the Sun by billions of years, potentially making it the oldest comet ever analysed by humans.

According to co-author Chris Lintott of the University of Oxford, observations of the incoming trajectory and motion of 3I/ATLAS make it 'very likely to be the oldest comet we have ever seen'. A new statistical analysis estimates the object could be between 7.6 and 14 billion years old, far exceeding the approximate 4.6 billion-year age of the Sun.

A Cosmic Relic From the Galaxy's Thick Disk

Recent statistical analysis by University of Oxford researchers estimates with 68 per cent confidence that the object could be between 7.6 and 14 billion years old, far exceeding the approximate 4.6 billion-year age of the Sun.

Matthew Hopkins, an astronomer involved in the age estimation, says that the interstellar visitor is likely to have formed in the Milky Way's thick disk, a region populated by some of the galaxy's oldest stars. This area predates the formation of our own solar system by billions of years, suggesting 3I/ATLAS has been drifting through space for aeons.

The object's hyperbolic trajectory, a path that cannot be bound by the Sun's gravity, confirms it did not originate within our solar system. Detailed orbital measurements show 3I/ATLAS entered from interstellar space at high velocity and is now leaving again, ensuring that it will not return.

Clues in its Chemical Makeup

Determining the composition of 3I/ATLAS is crucial in piecing together its history. Observations by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) detected a coma dominated by carbon dioxide (CO₂) around the object, along with water ice and other gases, indicating active sublimation driven by solar heating.

Researchers note the CO₂/H₂O ratio in the coma is among the highest measured in comets, an indicator that 3I/ATLAS may have formed in a distant region of a protoplanetary disk, perhaps where temperatures were cold enough for CO₂ ice to solidify long before the Sun existed.

Spectrophotometric data also suggest that the cometary nucleus may contain an unusually high fraction of metallic and carbonaceous material, akin to primitive chondritic meteorites collected on Earth. These materials are interpreted as evidence of a pristine body that has not undergone significant alteration since formation.

Rare Phenomena and Continuing Observations

As 3I/ATLAS approached its closest point to the Sun on 30 October 2025, a series of outgassing events created complex tail structures and unusual jet patterns. Observations from telescopes in Tenerife noted a sun-facing 'anti-tail' showing periodic wobbling motions, which helped refine estimates of the comet's rotation period.

Despite its interstellar origin, the behaviour of 3I/ATLAS shares similarities with comets from our own solar neighbourhood, exhibiting periodic jet activity and coma evolution. These dynamic features provide scientists with an opportunity to compare the physical processes shaping comets formed in different stellar environments.

Ongoing campaigns by space agencies and observatories worldwide are tracking the object as it recedes from the Sun and Earth. Data from NASA's STEREO, SOHO, and other heliophysics missions have helped map the comet against background noise and ascertain its high velocity and coma structure.

While no evidence supports speculative claims of artificial origins, the object's unique properties have occasionally sparked public and scientific discussion around the limits of natural cometary physics.

3I/ATLAS is expected to continue its journey back into interstellar space, but not before offering an unparalleled glimpse into the composition and age of materials from distant parts of the Milky Way.