Experts have confirmed that the mysterious object hurtling towards us, previously dubbed A11pl3Z, is an "interstellar object." The cosmic interloper, officially named 3I/ATLAS, is only the third of its kind ever seen — and will shoot past Earth later this year.

NASA telescopes in Chile have discovered a comet from interstellar space, making its closest approach in October.

Nasa officials have stated that the comet poses no threat to Earth. It is projected to remain at least 1.6 astronomical units away, or roughly 150 million miles, equivalent to 240 million kilometres