A community of smart telescope users have captured images of the interstellar comet that has entered our Solar System from deep space.
The NASA-funded ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) survey telescope in Rio Hurtado, Chile, reported sightings of the comet on 1 July 2025.
This interstellar body is known as 3I/ATLAS or C/2025 N1, and entered our Solar System from elsewhere in the Galaxy.
It can currently be seen in the constellation Sagittarius.
Comet 3I/ATLAS, or C/2025 N1, imaged on 2 July 2025 by the Virtual Telescope Project
Endeavour to track the interstellar visitor
The eyes of the comet-chasing world are upon this interstellar visitor, which is expected to be best seen in the Northern Hemisphere under the dark skies of winter 2025.
A community of amateur astronomers using Unistellar smart telescopes have been observing comet C/2025 N1 (ATLAS) – also designated 3I/ATLAS – and have managed to captured images of the comet.
Comet 3I/ATLAS image captured with Unistellar smart telescope by Bruno Guillet
Unistellar is a manufacturer of ‘smart telescopes’, a new type of telescope that enables users to select a celestial object from a catalogue, and the telescope then points automatically at it.
Smart telescopes don’t have an eyepiece like a traditional telescope, but instead capture multiple images of an object like a galaxy, nebula, star cluster or comet, stacking the images in real time to produce a clear view.
Smart telescopes often have their own Wi-Fi connection, meaning they can be controlled via smartphones and tablets.
What’s more, companies like Unistellar encourage users to participate in group citizen science projects, gathering images and data on a specific target.
Such as, in this case, an interstellar comet travelling through our Solar System.
Comet 3I/ATLAS image captured with Unistellar smart telescope by Scott Kardel
“This could mark the third discovery of an interstellar object in history,” says Franck Marchis, Senior Astronomer at the SETI Institute and Chief Science Officer at Unistellar.
“Right now, its brightness ranges between magnitude +17 and +19, and it may show some recent cometary activity that could increase quickly.
“This time we’ve caught it early enough to coordinate observation campaigns with our Unistellar citizen science network and other citizen science telescopes to be able to capture images of it.
“Combining these observations, which allow us to track its trajectory, with those taken soon by major ground-based and space-based observatories could be a unique chance to study its composition and behaviour as it warms up while approaching the Sun.”
Comet 3I/ATLAS image captured with Unistellar smart telescope by Franck Marchis
What we know about the comet
Initially classified as an asteroid, scientists say that it’s now clear 3I/ATLAS is displaying activity characteristic of an ‘active comet’.
That means it will likely heat up as it approaches the Sun, causing frozen gases sublimating into vapour, potentially forming a visible coma and tail.
It can be seen in the constellation Sagittarius and its nucleus is estimated to be between 1 and 2 km in size.
Comet 3I/ATLAS image captured with Unistellar smart telescope by Vamshi Kesireddy
The comet itself is thought to be as big as to 20 kilometres wide and travelling about 60 km/s relative to the Sun.
It won’t end up in orbit around our Sun, like most of the comets that we see in the night sky, but instead will eventually reach the edge of our Solar System and exit it forever.
Diagram showing the trajectory of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, or C/2025 N1, as it passes through the Solar System. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Before that, in October 2025 the comet will pass inside the orbit of Mars, but will be too close to the Sun to be seen from Earth.
From mid-November 2025 it could reappear in the morning sky in the constellation Virgo, shining around magnitude +10.5, which would put it within the reach of amateur telescopes.
If you’ve observed or photographed comet 3I/ATLAS, get in touch by emailing contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com
Our study delineates the clinical, biochemical, and genetic spectrum of 15 NICCD patients, reinforcing key diagnostic hallmarks while revealing genotype-phenotype correlations. The universal presence of infant cholestasis, elevated ammonia (100%), and hyperlactatemia (93.3%), elevated methionine (93.3%), and citrulline (100%), aligns with prior reports [5, 20]. Genetic analysis revealed the predominant SLC25A13 c.851_854del variant (86.7%) with distinct genotype-phenotype correlations, particularly evidenced by threonine elevation in individuals who were compound heterozygous for c.851_854del/c.615 + 5G > A. And the therapeutic regimen incorporating MCT-based nutrition yielded favorable outcomes with rapid clinical resolution (median 32 days) and subsequent growth normalization, with the exception of a single compound heterozygous c.1399 C > T/c.1638_1660dup case displaying prolonged recovery. These findings collectively validate the established diagnostic triad of NICCD while emphasizing the effectiveness of current therapeutic strategies in managing this metabolic disorder.
Song and colleagues reported that lactate level increased in 80% NICCD patients and hyperammonemia over half of NICCD patients. Lin et al. [20] found elevated blood ammonia in all patients, which aligns with our study. Citrin deficiency leads to hyperammonemia primarily through impaired mitochondrial aspartate export, which is essential for urea cycle function. This pathogenic mechanism has been conclusively demonstrated in citrin/mGPD double-knockout mouse models [21]. The metabolic disturbances observed in citrin deficiency – characterized by elevated methionine, citrulline, threonine and tyrosine – arise from citrin’s crucial role in the malate-aspartate shuttle, where its deficiency impairs mitochondrial aspartate export and NADH redox balance, leading to disrupted urea cycle function that causes citrulline accumulation, while the blocked conversion of methionine and threonine to succinyl-CoA and inhibited TCA cycle metabolism of tyrosine collectively manifest this distinct amino acid profile [22]. These findings precisely explain why our study consistently detected elevated citrulline levels in symptomatic patients, while the variable newborn screening results may reflect differences in the timing of metabolic derangement onset or compensatory mechanisms during the neonatal period [23].
The most frequent mutations in Korea and Japan are IVS16ins3kb, c.851_854del, and IVS11 + 1G→A [9, 10]. A study on patients with CD combining newborn metabolic and genetic screening revealed that the most common SLC25A13 mutation was c.851_854del, with an allele frequency of 60%, followed by IVS16ins3kb [20]. Recent reports in China have shown that the occurrence is 1:45, reaching levels of 1:28 in Southern China [20]. And the most frequent mutation sites were 851-854del and IVS6 + 5G > A [3]. Our study showed that c.851_854del was the predominant mutation. The absence of IVS16ins3kb and IVS6 + 5G > A mutations in our study may be attributed to the limited intronic coverage of our WES methodology, which focused primarily on exonic regions. The c.851_854del frequency was significantly higher in southern than border and northern populations, wihch indicated the regional difference in the frequency of mutation [11,12,13]. The novel mutation c.762T > A (p.F254L) identified in this study has been not reported previously. It is classified as “likely pathogenic” (ACMG criteria: PM3_Strong [trans with pathogenic variant], PM2_Supporting [absent in controls], PP4 [phenotype match]) according to the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) guidelines. This novel mutation in the role of CD needs to be validated furtherly. Homozygous c.851_854del(p.M284Pfs*2) patients showed the earliest symptom onset (median 3 days) and most severe cholestasis (100% jaundice/60% hepatomegaly), while individuals who were compound heterozygous for c.851_854del/c.615 + 5G > A presented later (median 13.5 days) with consistent threonine elevation, revealing genotype-phenotype correlations in NICCD. However, our small cohort size (n = 5 homozygous, n = 2 compound heterozygous) limits definitive conclusions, underscoring the need for multicenter studies to validate these preliminary associations between genetic variants and clinical/metabolic profiles.
All 15 patients achieved complete symptom resolution with lactose-free MCT formula (EléCare) and ursodeoxycholic acid therapy. However, similar to previous reports [17, 24], some patients exhibited persistent growth impairments. While other studies have documented hypoglycemia and liver failure in CD patients, these complications were not observed in our cohort, warranting further investigation with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up periods.
Our study provides a comprehensive analysis integrating clinical features, genetic profiles, and treatment outcomes in NICCD patients, with particular strength in correlating specific genotypes with distinct phenotypic and metabolic patterns, which offers clinically actionable insights for personalized management. However, the findings must be interpreted in light of the small sample size (n = 15) and relatively short follow-up period, which may limit the generalizability of some observations, such as the prolonged recovery time associated with rare variants (e.g., compound heterozygous c.1399 C > T/c.1638_1660dup). To address these limitations, future multicenter collaborations are needed to expand cohort diversity and sample size, complemented by mechanistic studies using citrin-deficient animal models to further elucidate genotype-specific disease mechanisms and therapeutic responses.
Fans are set for an unforgettable opening match at Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025, where acclaimed singer-songwriter, Anne-Marie, will commence celebrations with a pre-match performance, presented by O2
Kicking off the tournament in style, the performance will lead into England’s opening match against USA at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light on Friday 22 August
To catch the showstopping performance and world-class match, fans can purchase tickets now via tickets.rugbyworldcup.com
Priority from O2 will also be giving O2 and Virgin Media broadband customers the exclusive chance to meet Anne-Marie at the Opening Show – all they need to do is enter the ballot from today until 4 August via the app
The performance, produced by Live Nation, will set the tone for an action-packed six weeks of women’s rugby, featuring 16 of the world’s best teams competing at stadiums around the country. Fans can grab their tickets right now via tickets.rugbyworldcup.com for the opportunity to witness the unmissable performance and the start of the tournament first-hand.
Anne-Marie, known for hits such as ‘2002’, ‘Friends’, and ‘Rockabye’, is one of the UK’s most exciting and dynamic pop talents. With multiple BRIT Award nominations and a truly global fanbase, Anne-Marie will bring her vibrant energy and empowering anthems to light up the stadium and kickstart England’s biggest-ever celebration of women’s rugby.
In addition to hosting the performance by Anne-Marie, Priority – O2’s award-winning customer rewards programme – will be giving a small number of lucky customers the chance to meet the singer before the match, giving them exclusive access to a truly memorable, once-in-a-lifetime fan experience. Fans can enter a ballot via the Priority app, which is available for free to all O2 and Virgin Media broadband customers. The ballot is open from today until 4 August.
Anne-Marie shared her excitement, saying:“I’m so excited to perform at the Opening Show presented by O2 and be part of this massive moment for women’s sport. Now that I’ve got a daughter of my own, it means even more to be involved in something that shows the next generation that they can do anything. I know Sunderland is going to be going crazy, and I can’t wait to be part of it!”
Sarah Massey, Managing Director of Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025, said: “Anne-Marie is an exciting British singer-songwriter celebrated for her powerful vocals, dynamic performances, and genre-blending pop hits, and we are thrilled that she will be opening Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 on 22 August in Sunderland. Her music often delves into themes of empowerment, love, and personal growth, resonating with what rugby brings to its communities around the world.”
Gareth Griffiths, Director, Partnerships and Sponsorship, Virgin Media O2, said: “It’s impossible to overstate the importance of this tournament for women’s rugby, and the opening match is a landmark moment for sports fans everywhere. O2 is proud to play its part as an Official Partner of the Women’s Rugby World Cup, and to celebrate the opening match the best way we know how – bringing the worlds of music and sport together. Anne-Marie is one of the UK’s most exciting music talents and the perfect artist to kick off the proceedings.”
James Massing, Senior Vice President of Special Operations, Live Nation, said: “Working alongside World Rugby and O2 to highlight the incredible talent in the women’s game is a great opportunity for Live Nation.
“This partnership allows us to bring our creativity and experience to a sports environment, promoting and supporting the tournament’s growth. Anne-Marie is the perfect act for the opening show, and we’re excited to be part of delivering this unforgettable experience.”
Running from 22 August to 27 September, Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 will take place across eight venues throughout England, making it the biggest celebration of women’s rugby ever staged.
With more than 330,000 tickets already sold, and prices starting at just £5 for children and £10 for adults, hype for the opening match continues to build. Fans are encouraged to secure their tickets now via tickets.rugbyworldcup.com.
Xi meets heads of foreign delegations attending SCO council of foreign ministers meeting
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with foreign ministers and heads of standing bodies of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) who are in China to attend the Meeting of the Council of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of SCO Member States at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, July 15, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]
BEIJING, July 15 — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday met in Beijing with foreign ministers and heads of standing bodies of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) who are in China to attend the Meeting of the Council of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of SCO Member States.
He noted that over the past 24 years since its founding, the SCO has always upheld the Shanghai Spirit, grown into a mature and robust organization, and demonstrated strong vitality.
China has always prioritized the SCO in its neighborhood diplomacy, and is committed to making the organization more substantive and stronger, safeguarding regional security and stability, promoting the development and prosperity of member states and building a closer community with a shared future, Xi said.
He added that since China assumed the rotating presidency last July, it has actively carried out activities and advanced cooperation, with all parties taking solid steps to jointly build a better home for the SCO.
With the SCO Summit set to take place this year in China’s Tianjin, Xi expressed his hope to meet the leaders of other member states at the event to discuss the future development of the SCO.
He stressed that in the face of a turbulent and changing international landscape, the SCO must stay focused, remain confident, act efficiently and play a more proactive role in injecting greater stability and positive energy into the world.
Xi called on the SCO to take trust and mutual benefit as the foundation of cooperation, equality and consultation as the way of engagement, respect for diverse civilizations as a means to promote harmony and inclusiveness, and common development as a path toward shared prosperity, to ensure that the Shanghai Spirit continues to light the way in building an SCO community with a shared future.
The organization should respond to the people’s aspirations and be doers in deepening cooperation, Xi said, calling for improving mechanisms to address security threats and challenges, better alignment of member states’ development strategies with cooperation initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative, and facilitating personnel exchanges and people-to-people ties.
Xi also called for joint efforts to firmly oppose hegemony, power politics, and bullying in order to promote a more equal and balanced multipolar world. He emphasized the need for extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits to advance a more inclusive and universally beneficial economic globalization.
The SCO should unite and lead the Global South in building a more just and equitable global governance system, pooling immense strength for the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, he added.
Wang Yi, as the chair of the Council of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the SCO Member States, reported on the progress made in various aspects of work since China assumed the rotating presidency, as well as the preparations for the SCO Summit in Tianjin.
On behalf of the foreign delegations, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that through its steadfast commitment to the Shanghai Spirit, the SCO has achieved notable cooperation outcomes and gained increasing international appeal.
Practice has proven that the Shanghai Spirit, which is characterized by mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diversity of civilizations, and pursuit of common development, aligns with member states’ shared interests and demonstrates robust vitality, he added.
Lavrov said that since China assumed the SCO rotating presidency, it has hosted numerous events driving the organization’s new progress.
Facing a complex global landscape, the SCO should uphold multilateralism and promote the international order toward greater justice and equity, said Lavrov, adding that all parties stand ready to support China’s work as chair, forge greater consensus, and ensure the success of the upcoming SCO Summit in Tianjin.
Years later, while finishing university and unsure of his next steps, Seré came across the IOC Young Leaders Programme. He applied, was selected, and began shaping “Proyecto En JueGo” – inspired by childhood visits to a local orphanage where his parents volunteered, and where he saw first-hand the power of sport.
“We were bringing the kids to football classes,” Seré recalls. “I saw that they were enjoying it a lot, socialising with other kids, feeling what I felt with sport. I saw that sport was this happy moment that was super good for them. That’s when the idea came.”
Launched in 2024, the “Proyecto En JueGo” project complements school curriculums with physical activity and lessons inspired by the Olympic Values Education Programme (OVEP), promoting respect, effort and friendship. It has worked with two foster houses, offering twice-weekly sessions for children between 6 and 13 years old, along with weekly judo classes at a local club.
“We want to be role models for them,” Seré says. “We are the ones giving them trust and confidence. We are building something that stays with them. Maybe tomorrow, when they’re adopted or go back to society, they’ll remember that club. They’ll know they can go back there and that someone will help them.”
Last month, Seré presented his project at the Olympism365 Summit in Lausanne, Switzerland, and shared his vision with IOC President Kirsty Coventry and IOC Honorary President Thomas Bach at the IOC Young Leaders Roundtable. There, he reiterated a phrase that has become central to his mission: “I am the captain of my own boat,” Seré says. “I’ve never been a professional athlete, but my dream was to go to the Olympic Games, and I’ve already done two. You can choose your path. What we’re doing is giving young people the boat – the tools – to navigate this world. We’re helping them sail forward.”
The chatbot embedded in Elon Musk’s X that referred to itself as “MechaHitler” and made antisemitic comments last week could be considered terrorism or violent extremism content, an Australian tribunal has heard.
But an expert witness for X has argued a large language model cannot be ascribed intent, only the user.
xAI, Musk’s artificial intelligence firm, last week apologised for the comments made by its Grok chatbot over a 16-hour period, which it attributed to “deprecated code” that made Grok susceptible to existing X user posts, “including when such posts contained extremist views”.
The outburst came into focus at an administrative review tribunal hearing on Tuesday where X is challenging a notice issued by the eSafety commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, in March last year asking the platform to explain how it is taking action against terrorism and violent extremism (TVE) material.
Australia’s social media ban for under-16s is now law. There’s plenty we still don’t know – video
X’s expert witness, RMIT economics professor Chris Berg, provided evidence to the case that it was an error to assume a large language model can produce such content, because it is the intent of the user prompting the large language model that is critical in defining what can be considered terrorism and violent extremism content.
One of eSafety’s expert witnesses, Queensland University of Technology law professor Nicolas Suzor, disagreed with Berg, stating it was “absolutely possible for chatbots, generative AI and other tools to have some role in producing so-called synthetic TVE”.
“This week has been quite full of them, with X’s chatbot Grok producing [content that] fits within the definitions of TVE,” Suzor said.
He said the development of AI has human influence “all the way down” where you can find intent, including Musk’s actions to change the way Grok was responding to queries to “stop being woke”.
The tribunal heard that X believes the use of its Community Notes feature (where users can contribute to factchecking a post on the site) and Grok’s Analyse feature (where it provides context on a post) can detect or address TVE.
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Both Suzor and fellow eSafety expert witness Josh Roose, a Deakin University associate professor of politics, told the hearing that it was contested as to whether Community Notes was useful in this regard. Roose said TVE required users to report the content to X, which went into a “black box” for the company to investigate, and often only a small amount of material was removed and a small number of accounts banned.
Suzor said that after the events of last week, it was hard to view Grok as “truth seeking” in its responses.
“It’s uncontroversial to say that Grok is not maximalising truth or truth seeking. I say that particularly given the events of last week I would just not trust Grok at all,” he said.
Berg argued that the Grok Analyse feature on X had not been updated with the features that caused the platform’s chatbot to make the responses it did last week, but admitted the chatbot that users respond to directly on X had “gone a bit off the rails” by sharing hate speech content and “just very bizarre content”.
Suzor said Grok had been changed not to maximise truth seeking but “to ensure responses are more in line with Musk’s ideological view”.
Earlier in the hearing, lawyers for X accused eSafety of attempting to turn the hearing “into a royal commission into certain aspects of X”, after Musk’s comment referring to Inman Grant as a “commissar” was brought up in the cross-examination of an X employee about meetings held with X prior to the notice being issued.
The government’s barrister, Stephen Lloyd, argued X was trying to argue that eSafety was being “unduly adversarial” in its dealings with X, and that X broke off negotiations at a critical point before the notice was issued. He said the “aggressive approach” came from X’s leadership.
