Astronomers are tracking a newly spotted comet hailing from parts unknown, only the third time such an interstellar object has been observed visiting our solar system.

Based on the comet's brightness and current distance — it's located just inside Jupiter's orbit — scientists estimate its diameter at about 12 miles across. 3I/ATLAS is only the third known interstellar object to visit our neck of the woods.

NASA has discovered a new interstellar comet that's currently located about 420 million miles away from Earth. The space agency spotted the quick-moving object with the Atlas telescope in Chile on Tuesday and confirmed it was a comet from another star system. The new interstellar comet's official name is 3I/ATLAS.