NASA released images of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS after an intensive, multi-mission observation campaign. The agency says the object looks and behaves like a natural comet, although some researchers, including Avi Loeb, have proposed a technological origin and urged further study. The comet passed near Mars at about 19 million miles and will approach Earth closest on Dec. 19 at roughly 170 million miles. Scientists continue to analyze data from multiple spacecraft and ground-based telescopes.
NASA Releases Images of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS — Officials Dismiss Alien-Ship Speculation
NASA released images of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS after an intensive, multi-mission observation campaign. The agency says the object looks and behaves like a natural comet, although some researchers, including Avi Loeb, have proposed a technological origin and urged further study. The comet passed near Mars at about 19 million miles and will approach Earth closest on Dec. 19 at roughly 170 million miles. Scientists continue to analyze data from multiple spacecraft and ground-based telescopes.
10:18 AM, 11/21/2025Science
NASA has published new images of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS captured during its flyby of Mars and says the object behaves like a natural comet rather than an alien spacecraft. Space agencies around the world shifted telescopes, orbiters and other instruments to track the visitor, which has intrigued scientists and the public since its discovery.
Observations and data
The object was first detected on July 1 by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) telescope in Rio Hurtado, Chile, with earlier archival detections traced back to June 14. NASA instruments have monitored 3I/ATLAS continuously since discovery, though images and data collected between mid-September and October were released later because of a 43-day federal government shutdown.
The closest NASA view to date occurred when the comet passed Mars at roughly 19 million miles. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, the MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN) mission and the Perseverance rover all photographed the interstellar visitor during that encounter. Heliophysics missions from NASA and the European Space Agency tracked 3I/ATLAS as it passed behind the Sun from Oct. 15–26, and NASA’s PUNCH (Polarimeter to UNify the Corona and Heliosphere) mission gathered measurements of the comet’s tail between Sept. 20 and Oct. 3.
What officials say
“This object is a comet. It looks and behaves like a comet, and all evidence points to it being a comet,”
said NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya at a media briefing, while noting that its interstellar origin makes it scientifically valuable.
Alternative views
Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb, director of the Galileo Project, has suggested that some features of 3I/ATLAS — including its trajectory and observed outgassing patterns — could be consistent with an artificial or technological origin. In a post on Medium, Loeb urged further analysis of images from multiple instruments and amateur photographers and suggested investigators check for fragments or objects that might have separated from the comet.
NASA officials say the agency’s multi-instrument data do not support those conclusions and that differences in appearance can result from the object’s interstellar origin and physical characteristics that differ from previously observed interstellar visitors.
Upcoming approach
3I/ATLAS will make its closest approach to Earth on Dec. 19, when it will be roughly 170 million miles away — about twice the distance between Earth and the Sun. Scientists continue to analyze the full dataset from multiple missions to learn more about the object’s composition, activity and origin.
Note: Observations and scientific assessments are ongoing; conclusions may be refined as teams analyze additional data.