Though 3I/ATLAS will never come close to Earth, its passage offers a rare chance to study material beyond our solar system with ground-based and orbital telescopes, before it accelerates back into deep space . For the latest and best from Chron, sign up for our daily newsletter here.

Astronomers are scrambling to gather data on a mysterious object that’s currently hurtling through the solar system. Preliminary observations suggest it came from interstellar space, and if confirmed, it would mark the third discovery of an interstellar object in history.

Experts have confirmed that the mysterious object hurtling towards us, previously dubbed A11pl3Z, is an "interstellar object." The cosmic interloper, officially named 3I/ATLAS, is only the third of its kind ever seen — and will shoot past Earth later this year.