On November 19, 2025, NASA hosted a highly anticipated press conference to reveal an array of new images and data on 3I/ATLAS, the third interstellar object ever detected traversing our solar system. Discovered on July 1, 2025, by the NASA-funded ATLAS telescope in Chile, this comet has captivated astronomers due to its origins beyond our solar system, offering a rare glimpse into the compositions of distant planetary systems. The event showcased observations from an unprecedented 12 NASA assets, including spacecraft, telescopes, and satellites, emphasizing the agency’s multi-faceted approach to studying this visitor.
NASA officials highlighted how 3I/ATLAS was observed from various vantage points across the solar system, providing insights into its behavior and differences from comets native to our own system. The comet, which passed closest to Mars at about 19 million miles earlier in the fall, was imaged by three Mars-based missions: The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) captured one of the closest views using its HiRISE camera, though the image appeared as a fuzzy ball of light due to the distance (around 30 million kilometers) and spacecraft jitter, resulting in a resolution of about 30 kilometers per pixel. MAVEN provided ultraviolet images revealing the comet’s hydrogen envelope, helping scientists understand its chemical makeup. Even the Perseverance rover on Mars’ surface caught a faint glimpse of the comet.
Heliophysics missions offered unique perspectives near the Sun: STEREO imaged the comet from September 11 to October 2. SOHO captured it from October 15 to 26. PUNCH revealed details of the comet’s tail during observations from September 20 to October 3 – this marked the first time heliophysics missions purposefully targeted an interstellar object.
Asteroid-exploring spacecraft also contributed: Psyche took four observations over eight hours on September 8 and 9 from 33 million miles away, aiding in refining the comet’s trajectory. Lucy captured images on September 16 from 240 million miles, with stacked views showing the coma (the gaseous envelope) and tail.
Additional telescope data included views from Hubble in July, James Webb and SPHEREx in August, building on earlier spectroscopic detections of hydrogen. NASA stressed that these observations confirm 3I/ATLAS is shedding gas and dust while following gravitational laws, behaving like a “familiar comet.”
The comet is set to make its closest approach to Earth on December 19, 2025, at 170 million miles, before passing Jupiter’s orbit in spring 2026. NASA plans to continue monitoring it with ongoing missions.
The press conference underscored the value of these multi-lens observations in comparing 3I/ATLAS to solar system comets. Key findings include its interstellar trajectory (confirmed by its hyperbolic path), chemical composition (rich in hydrogen and other volatiles), and structural details like its coma and tail. NASA rejected rumors of it being an alien spacecraft, stating that all data points to a natural origin. Officials attributed delays in data processing to a recent government shutdown, but emphasized that the comet’s behavior aligns with expectations for an icy body heated by the Sun.
While NASA presented the event as a triumph of collaborative science, not everyone was convinced. Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb, known for his work on previous interstellar objects like ’Oumuamua, criticized the conference for lacking new insights and ignoring several anomalies. Loeb pointed out that 3I/ATLAS is a million times more massive than ‘Oumuamua and a thousand times larger than Borisov, making its interstellar ejection unlikely unless deliberately targeted. He also noted its trajectory’s improbable alignment with the solar system’s planetary plane (a 0.2% chance), suggesting it was “kinder” to observers than random chance would allow.
Loeb listed 12 puzzles, including unusual jet structures, and urged NASA to quantitatively analyze the HiRISE data, search for fragments or accompanying objects using Mars assets and Earth-based observatories, and use larger telescopes to probe the jets’ composition by December. He warned against dismissing anomalies based on appearances, drawing parallels to the Trojan Horse and quoting Sherlock Holmes: “There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact.”
Public reactions on social media echoed some disappointment, with users calling the images “blurry” and the event a “nothing-burger,” while others speculated about hidden artificial origins. Conspiracy theories, including claims of maneuvers or probes, have proliferated, though NASA maintains there’s no evidence for anything beyond a natural comet.
As 3I/ATLAS continues its journey, NASA’s observations could yield more data on interstellar chemistry and object formation. However, the debate over its anomalies highlights the tension between conventional explanations and bold hypotheses in astronomy. Whether it’s just another comet or something more extraordinary remains a topic of ongoing scrutiny.
