Comet K1 (ATLAS) in the constellation Hercules

 

Comet K1 (ATLAS) powering through Hercules.
Seestar S30 image credit: Kurt Thrust

" This comet is not to be confused with interstellar Comet 31 (ATLAS) which is currently in the constellation Libra. Comet K1 is on a parabolic orbit around the Sun and is a visitor from the Oort Cloud. Comet 31 is on a hyperbolic course from well beyond the Oort Cloud and the Solar System". - Joel Cairo CEO of the JPO.

"Comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) is a newcomer from the farthest reaches of our solar system, making its very first visit close to the Sun. Discovered in late May 2025, it's shooting in on a highly eccentric, tilted orbit, taking it closer to the Sun than Mercury ever gets.

In August, it's still faint—only visible through strong amateur telescopes. But by early October, as it dives toward the Sun, it might brighten enough to be seen with binoculars or small telescopes.

The big question: will it survive the solar heat? With a small nucleus and unusual orbit, it's quite possible the comet may break apart as it zips past the Sun. If it holds together, late November might offer another viewing opportunity when it's closer to Earth but dimmer.

We can think about this comet's “age” in two ways:

Formation Age

• Like most comets, K1 (ATLAS) formed about 4.5 billion years ago, during the birth of the solar system.

• It’s made of the same primordial ices and dust that went into forming planets, but it was ejected outward by the giant planets’ gravity early in solar system history.

Dynamical Age (Time in the Oort Cloud)

• It’s considered a dynamically new comet, meaning this is likely its first ever passage into the inner solar system.

• That implies it has spent essentially its entire existence (billions of years) stored in the cold, dark Oort Cloud, preserved in nearly pristine condition.

Sad to think that its first journey to the centre of the Solar System may be its last". -  Professor G.P.T Chat visiting astrophysicist  at the JPO.