NASA Confirms No Earth Impact Risk from Comet 3I/ATLAS
WASHINGTON – NASA has definitively stated that comet 3I/ATLAS poses no threat of collision with Earth, despite its recent prominence and unusual characteristics. The space agency’s assessment, released today, October 9, 2025, alleviates concerns sparked by the comet’s size and trajectory as it journeys through the inner solar system.
Discovered in 2023,3I/ATLAS is notable as one of only three interstellar objects-celestial bodies originating outside our solar system-observed passing through our cosmic neighborhood. Astronomer Avi Loeb estimates the comet’s rocky core measures approximately 5.6 kilometers in diameter and has a mass exceeding 33 billion tons,substantially larger than previously detected interstellar visitors 1I/’Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov.This ample size initially prompted scrutiny regarding its potential path.
NASA specifies the comet’s solid, icy core has an estimated diameter ranging from 0.32 to 5.6 kilometers. Spectroscopic analysis confirms the presence of water, both as solid ice grains and water vapor, within the comet’s composition. 3I/ATLAS is currently on its closest approach to the Sun, and will continue its journey outward, remaining at a safe distance from Earth. The comet is expected to become visible to the naked eye in late September and early october, offering a rare opportunity for observers in the Northern Hemisphere to witness an interstellar object.
