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AsteriaStar

Sky survey

ATLAS

The Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System — a NASA-funded network of small survey telescopes, operated by the University of Hawaiʻi, that scans the whole visible sky nightly for moving objects and impact hazards. Its Chilean telescope discovered the third interstellar object, 3I/ATLAS, in 2025.

Type
Sky survey
Domain
Scientific connections
Connections
3

Experience system V6

Sky survey scientific profile

A graph-grounded scientific layout that adapts to available evidence, imagery, relations, and source coverage.

Evidence graphScientific mapOriginal SVGSource trail
  1. 01

    Observe

    The page falls back to graph and source evidence when no cleared image is available.

  2. 02

    Measure

    Measurement panels use graph coverage, catalog identifiers, and source availability without inventing values.

  3. 03

    Locate

    Surveyed 3I/ATLAS.

  4. 04

    Connect

    3 graph relations shape the knowledge viewport.

Object type
Sky survey
Graph relations
3
Verified sources
2
Image records
0
Domain
Scientific connections
Status
Graph entity

Scientific map

Atlas context

ATLAScoordinate fields shown only when available
  • Surveyed

    3I/ATLAS

  • Associated with

    Discovery

  • Associated with

    NEO Discovery

Original SVG diagram

Scientific schematic

Optical pathCollected lightFocal plane / instrumentSky survey
Object class
Sky survey
Catalog numbers
Not recorded
Graph relations
3
Sources
2
3I/ATLASDiscoveryNEO DiscoveryATLASSky survey

Visual knowledge graph

Relationships, not isolated facts

This viewport is generated from the Asteria knowledge graph. Science, culture, and interpretive links remain separated by domain so visual context never changes the evidentiary meaning of a relation.

Continue the atlas

Curated next objects

interstellar object

3I/ATLAS

The third confirmed interstellar object, discovered on 1 July 2025 by the ATLAS survey in Chile. Its orbit is the most strongly hyperbolic of the three found so far, with an eccentricity of roughly 6, and it showed cometary activity as it passed through the inner Solar System in late 2025. Some physical parameters remain preliminary, but its interstellar origin is established by the trajectory.

observation stage

Discovery

A wide-field survey images the sky repeatedly and flags anything that has changed — a new point of light, or one that has brightened or moved. The candidate is issued as an alert within seconds.

defense stage

NEO Discovery

Dedicated survey telescopes scan the sky night after night for moving points of light — the near-Earth asteroids and comets. Catalina, Pan-STARRS, and ATLAS lead the search from the ground, and the Rubin Observatory will transform it.

sky survey

Legacy Survey of Space and Time

The Legacy Survey of Space and Time, conducted by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, will image the entire southern sky every few nights for a decade.

sky survey

Catalina Sky Survey

A NASA-funded near-Earth-object survey based at the University of Arizona, using telescopes on Mount Lemmon and Mount Bigelow. It is a prolific discoverer of comets and near-Earth asteroids, including the hyperbolic long-period comet C/2007 W1 (Boattini).

sky survey

Pan-STARRS

Pan-STARRS in Hawaii repeatedly images the sky to discover asteroids, comets, and transient events, including the first interstellar object, ʻOumuamua.

Data

Scientific data & provenance

Data & provenance

Stable ID
sky_survey:atlas
Type
Sky survey
Domain
Scientific connections
Relationships
3
Graph version
1.0.0

Open data

In the graph export: graph.json · graph.jsonld

Planned API: GET /api/v0/entities/sky_survey:atlas

Scientific quality

Substantial
Unreviewed2 sourcesv1.0.0

3 of 4 applicable dimensions complete

Description
Complete
Source coverage
Complete
Relationship coverage
Complete
Review coverage
None
Citation coverage
Not applicable
Image coverage
Not applicable
Timeline coverage
Not applicable

Scientific entity. Dimensions that cannot apply to this object are excluded rather than counted as gaps. See the evidence framework and authority dashboard.

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Sources & references

The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.

  • NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration

    Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.

    Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.

  • NASA JPLJet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics

    Orbital data, ephemerides, and small-body parameters for planets, asteroids, and comets.