A Visitor from Beyond?
What an Interstellar Comet Tells Us About God’s Faithfulness
On July 1st, astronomers confirmed something extraordinary: a new object, now named 3I/ATLAS, is racing through our solar system, and it didn’t come from here. This is only the third confirmed interstellar object ever discovered, following the mysterious ‘Oumuamua in 2017 and comet 2I/Borisov in 2019.
3I/ATLAS is a 12-mile-wide comet traveling at over 152,000 mph, and it’s currently passing through the outer solar system. It won’t come close to Earth, but its presence is a cosmic reminder that we are not alone in the universe and that even in the vastness of space, God is still speaking.
Here are some interesting facts about this interstellar visitor:
Discovered by: NASA’s ATLAS telescope in Chile
Trajectory: A hyperbolic orbit, meaning it’s just passing through, never to return
Current location: Inside Jupiter’s orbit, heading toward the Sun
Closest Approach to the Sun: October 30, 2025
Closest approach to Earth: December 19, 2025 (but still 150 million miles away)
Unlike anything in our solar system, 3I/ATLAS is a cosmic traveler, likely formed around another star system millions or even billions of years ago. (I believe that time as we know it, and God’s time are not the same.) It’s a frozen time capsule from a distant world with stories to tell us of long ago.
When I first read about 3I/ATLAS, I was struck by its fleeting nature. It’s here for a moment, then gone forever. And yet, it’s making headlines, stirring curiosity, and drawing the eyes of the world upward.
Isn’t that how life feels sometimes? We pass through seasons that seem brief and bewildering. We carry wounds that feel alien, like they don’t belong in the story we thought we were living. We wonder if we’re just drifting through space, unnoticed.
But Scripture reminds us otherwise.
“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart…”
— Ecclesiastes 3:11“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.”
— Psalm 19:1
This interstellar comet, though distant and silent, is declaring something profound: God is still creating, still revealing, reaching across the cosmos to remind us of His eternal presence.
Maybe you feel like a stranger in your own life right now, I know I am many times in my days of recent. Maybe you’re in a season of grief, transition, or uncertainty (this too is true of me, all of the above!) I can’t help but feel just like 3I/ATLAS, that my journey has purpose, and so does yours, even if it’s not yet clear.
God sees you. He knows your orbit. And He’s not surprised by your trajectory.
You are not just passing through. You are part of a story that stretches beyond the stars.
As 3I/ATLAS continues its journey, let’s take time to look up, not just with our eyes, but with our hearts. Because even in the cold silence of space, God is still speaking.
And sometimes, He sends a comet to remind us.