3I/ATLAS = C/2025 N1 (ATLAS)

A most unusual "Messenger"! (Updated: 2025-07-11)

A third interstellar visitor from afar has entered our Solar System. The first discovered was 1I/’Oumuamua (now classified as a hyperbolic asteroid A/2017 U1 ('Oumuamua), 2017-10-19.39715, F51 - Pan-STARRS 1, Haleakala; the second a hyperbolic comet 2I/Borisov = C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) , 2019-08-30.04398, L51 - MARGO, Nauchnyi; and the third a hyperbolic comet 3I/ATLAS = C/2025 N1 (ATLAS), 2025-07-01.21888, 5:15:11.232 UT, W68 - ATLAS Chile, Rio Hurtado. The first and third are in a retrograde orbit (inclination > 90°), while the second is in a prograde orbit.

A previous hyperbolic, sunskirting, retrograde comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) was discovered on 2024-04-05.263696, 6:19:43.334 UT (2° Cap 00'29.72" Rx) at the same observatory W68-ATLAS Chile, Rio Hurtado, the first discovery there of any object in our Master List (discussed here with its connection to Chiron). At discovery it was 43° above the horizon in the east located in the constellation Apus, “the Bird of Paradise.” It was not classified as “interstellar,” but no astronomer seems to know exactly its orbital period, only that JPL analysts are now suggesting a ~600,000 yr. orbital period after its perihelion occurred. This new hyperbolic, retrograde comet (3I/ATLAS) was discovered at the SAME observatory, in the SAME degree (2° Cap 08'08.30" Rx) but in the constellation Sagittarius. It is considered “interstellar” with a different trajectory (see JPL orbit viewer diagram). C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) is now moving out of the Solar System, having survived its rendezvous with our Sun on Jan. 13, 2025, and it’s now in between Mars and Jupiter at 3.345 au, while 3I/ATLAS is incoming at nearly the same distance (4.308 au) and might be waving to each other on July 28 at 3.62 au, as if C/2024 G3 is welcoming the “new Messenger.” Are these two related archetypically - discovered after all in the SAME degree and discovered at the SAME observatory?

Who is this Messenger (3I/ATLAS)? And what is the Message? We offer his/her discovery chart below to help decipher it. We might also consider a previous discovery of an asteroid named Asmodeus (“King of demons”) who was discovered on 1975-10-08.44653 in the SAME degree (3° Tau) as Chiron (“Suffering Messiah”), discovered two years later (1977-10-18.3809) at the SAME observatory (675-Palomar Mountain). When Asmodeus was discovered, however, it/he was within a degree conjunct Sedna and Taguacipa, the “Great Deceiver” and sidekick of Virococha, Supreme Creator god of the Inca, the “Ancient One.”

One interesting opposition we see in this chart is Taguacipa (18° Ari 55'24") conjunct the Meridian 1^st House cusp (19° Ari 01'08") and the TNO 2010EN65 (19° Lib 39'46") conjunct the 7^th House cusp (19° Lib 01'08") - both within arc minutes! This TNO was, however, exactly conjunct Chiron at his discovery, which adds a different meaning or interpretation, we think, to this discovery. Neptune has 31 currently known trojans, and 2010EN65 is one of them - the only one described as a “jumping trojan,” and the only L3 member of the group. We suggest that this discovery is announcing the arrival of the “Triumphant Messiah” who opposes his Archrival Taguacipa, the “right hand,” if you will, of Asmodeus. The Moon (21° Vir 50'00") is conjunct but separating from her apparent South Node (21° Vir 03'42") ruling the End-of-the-Matter 4^th -illuminating as well. The Sun is nicely quintile the Moon and Chiron, as seen in the aspect grid. With a good deal of chatter about “correlated” objects these days (at least in one Facebook AA group), what would you make of these correlations?

Notice in the discovery chart that all objects are JPL Horizons-calculated, as well as the nodes and apogee are definition-based events that occurred prior to discovery, calculated as such and treated similarly to the New Moon, the VSP or perihelion that astrologers might insert into a chart as significant indicators of the event or birth. None of the nodes or apsides move forward or backward as many astrologers imagine. They’re simply events, just like a New Moon, that occur each month, and, then, they stay fixed forever.

For those of you interested in the transit of C/2025 N1 (ATLAS) over the coming weeks, we provide its daily position in the sky, along with 744 other celestial objects, including the other two interstellars, in our Daily Transits. For its perihelion, since he/she is a very fast-moving comet, I’ll give the current prediction based upon the latest JPL solution, but it changes every day on average about an hour earlier with each update, at least with the first few days. It does appear from the July 7 solution that the narrowing may be within a few minutes by the end of July. In any case, here’re the estimated perihelion solution dates/times:

2025-07-04 > 2025-10-29, 15:13:47.635 (203.6668502) - 1.349 au
2025-07-05 > 2025-10-29, 13:42:33.895 (203.6664796) - 1.353 au
2025-07-06 > 2025-10-29, 12:35:04.115 (203.6655653) – 1.356 au
2025-07-07 > 2025-10-29, 12:08:47.347 (203.6632744) - 1.357 au
2025-07-10 > 2025-10-29, 11:22:25.840 (203.6597837) - 1.358 au
2025-07-11 > 2025-10-29, 11:35:57.650 (203.6600112) – 1.357 au
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The sidebar list is in this order (karmic asteroids in black with C/2025 N1 (ATLAS) in red):

2010EN65, IZANAKI, Nemesis, Asmodeus, Taguacipa, Selene, C/2025 N1 (ATLAS), Karma, Izhdubar, Isis, Atropos, Werdandi, Lachesis, Klotho, Lucifer, Typhon, Izanami, Osiris, Taowu, Orius, Aruna, Skuld, Urda, Aletheia, Erynia, Apollo, LILITH, Pandora, Libitina, Mithra, APOPHIS, Sedna, Ahau, Psyche, 2002XW93, Tukmit, Horus, Zeus, Hera, HERACLES, Hebe and Tomaiyowit.
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PDFs of the 745 objects:
3I/ATLAS - Ecliptic LON sort
3I/ATLAS - Galactic LON sort
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Additional reading:
1 - https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/scientists-preparing-spacecraft-to-intercept-strange-space-visitors/ar-AA1I8o6l
2 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3I/ATLAS
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Geocentric/Tropical/Meridian

Triangular Aspect Grid