Astronomers are tracking a mysterious object possibly from another star system as it moves through our solar system, the European Space Agency announced Wednesday.
Believed to be only the third known interstellar visitor, the object—currently labeled A11pl3Z—is harmless and is now near Jupiter, heading toward Mars. Scientists say it won’t get any closer to the sun than that.
Its exact nature—whether it’s a rocky asteroid or an icy comet—remains unknown, and further observations are needed to confirm its origin. NASA is also monitoring the object.
Astrophysicist Josep Trigo-Rodriguez from the Institute of Space Sciences in Spain says the object’s unusual trajectory and high speed suggest it came from beyond our solar system. He estimates it may be about 25 miles (40 kilometers) wide.
