Late in the evening on July 1, a telescope in Chile that is part of the global, NASA-funded Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) picked up on a new moving dot in the sky, an object traveling past the orbit of Jupiter.

Astronomers are tracking a newly spotted comet hailing from parts unknown, only the third time such an interstellar object has been observed visiting our solar system.

Based on the comet's brightness and current distance — it's located just inside Jupiter's orbit — scientists estimate its diameter at about 12 miles across. 3I/ATLAS is only the third known interstellar object to visit our neck of the woods.