NASA Confirms Comet 3I/Atlas is Natural, Dispels Alien Craft Theories
WASHINGTON – NASA has definitively stated that the recently observed comet, 3I/Atlas, is a natural celestial body and not an alien spacecraft, despite speculation fueled by its unusual characteristics and a period of limited agency dialog due to the recent federal government shutdown.
The comet, discovered by the ATLAS telescope in Chile, is currently approximately 307 million kilometers (190 million miles) from Earth. Astronomers worldwide are intensely studying 3I/Atlas, utilizing both ground-based telescopes and space probes like the Webb Space Telescope and the European Space Agency’s Juice spacecraft, currently en route to Jupiter. Juice has been collecting data throughout the month, though observations won’t be available until February due to its antenna being used as a heat shield during its closest approach to the Sun.
scientists estimate the comet’s size to be between 440 meters (1,444 feet) and 5.6 kilometers (3.5 miles) wide. Observations suggest it is traveling at an exceptionally fast speed and may originate from a star system older than our own. “That means that 3I/Atlas is not just a window to another solar system, it is indeed a window to the deep past and so deep into the past that it even predates the formation of our Earth and our Sun,” explained NASA scientist Tom Statler.
The comet will reach its closest point to Earth – 269 million kilometers (167 million miles) – in mid-December before returning to interstellar space, making this a unique and unrepeatable observation prospect.
“Everyone who has control of a telescope wants to observe it as it is indeed a fascinating and rare opportunity,” said Shawn Domagal-Goldman, NASA’s acting director of astrophysics.
NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya emphasized the agency’s ongoing search for extraterrestrial life but firmly clarified, “3I/Atlas is a comet.” The agency acknowledged being unable to address all circulating theories in recent weeks due to the government shutdown.
