The arrival of 3I/ATLAS, the third-ever interstellar object ever detected, is helping astronomers assess the capabilities of a groundbreaking new observatory.
C. Rubin Observatory, jointly funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. This mesmerizing image was created using long-exposure photography, a technique in which a photographer allows light to enter their camera lens for a period of several minutes to several hours.
The camera captures the subject’s movements, and the resulting image shows the flow of time in a single shot. During its decade-long Legacy Survey of Space and Time Rubin will use a technique known as difference imaging: equipped with the largest camera ever built, Rubin will image the southern sky every few nights. Scientists will stack these images into ultra-long exposures and create a template image of the southern sky. When this template is compared to individual images, scientists will be able to identify ‘movements’ in the night sky, such as new supernovae or the 'pulsations' of variable stars. After 10 years and thousands of exposures, Rubin will produce an unprecedented ultra-wide, ultra-high-definition, time-lapse record of our Universe — the ultimate movie of the night sky. This image was captured by Hernán Stockebrand, a NOIRLab Audiovisual Ambassador.The new Vera C. Rubin Observatory detected interstellar object 3I/ATLAS and may detect up to 50 more during its 10-year mission, according to a new model.A new survey telescope in Chile, the Rubin Observatory, looks set to become astronomy’s most ambitious and productive eye on the sky ever made. It will begin a 10-year mission later this year, during which it’s expected to discover 10 million supernovas, 20 billion galaxies, and millions of asteroids and comets. About the size of a car, Rubin’s $168 million LSSTCam imager — the most sensitive optical device ever made — weighs over three tons and captures 3,200-megapixel images. Every image is big enough to fill 378 4K screens. It took 10 years to manufacture, features six optical filters, and, crucially, has a 9.6 square-degree field of view — it can see a large portion of the sky at once.Discovered on July 1, 2025, by the ATLAS telescope network at El Sauce Observatory in Chile and thought to be around 12 miles in diameter, 3I/ATLAS’s eccentric trajectory suggests that it’s from outside the solar system. The third interstellar object ever to be found after ‘Oumuamua in 2017 and a comet called 2I/Borisov in 2019, 3I/ATLAS could be three billion years older than the solar system — the oldest comet ever seen. It could even be up toin Durham, U.K., about a new model, the Ōtautahi–Oxford Model, that simulates the properties of interstellar objects based on their orbits and likely stellar origins.The next interstellar object to enter the solar system is likely to be discovered by the Rubin telescope. Objets such as 3I/ATLAS are incredibly faint when they are far from the sun, but Rubin’s wide field and large aperture make it ideal for finding interstellar objects. “Rubin’s speed means it also scans 18,000 square degrees every few nights,” said Bob Blum, Director of Rubin Observatory Operations, in an email. “The combination of depth, field of view, and speed is ideal for finding rare objects.” With all of this in its favor, Rubin is expected to find any interstellar objects sooner than other facilities because it will detect them when they’re farther away. “We expect Rubin will be able to find at least multiple 10’s of these rare interlopers over the course of its 10-year survey,” said Bloom. It’s already begun its work, with Rubin’s team locating 3I/ATLAS in test images taken since early June and now studying the object in the night sky.For astronomers working on how to best detect interstellar objects, the sudden arrival of 3I/ATLAS took them by surprise — just as they were preparing to begin using the Rubin Observatory. “The solar system science community was already excited about the potential discoveries Rubin will make in the next 10 years, including an unprecedented number of interstellar objects,” said co-researcher Dr Rosemary Dorsey of the University of Helsinki. “The discovery of 3I suggests that prospects for Rubin may now be more optimistic; we may find about 50 objects, of which some would be similar in size to 3I."
3I/ATLAS Interstellar Object Vera Rubin Rubin Rubin Observatory ’Oumuamua Oumuamua 1I/2017 U1 2I/Borisov
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