NASA confirms that 3I/ATLAS is an interstellar comet, dismissing speculation about alien origins. The agency shared images and data from multiple space missions to support this conclusion.
NASA missions are tracking and studying the rare interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as it passes through our solar system, with observations from Hubble, Webb, SPHEREx, and others.
Comet 3I/ATLAS reached perihelion on October 30, 2025. This article details the findings from observations of this interstellar comet, including its composition, activity, and orbital behavior, and how this data will inform future missions.
Scientists, including those at the SETI Institute, observed the comet and gathered data on its origin, composition, and trajectory.
Key findings include an unusual prevalence of carbon dioxide over water ice, a nickel-to-iron ratio differing from Solar System comets, and a brightening event near perihelion
Thpe data collected will be valuable for future missions like ESA’s Comet Interceptor, preparing scientists to study future interstellar visitors. The article highlights the role of citizen scientists through the Unistellar Network in contributing to these observations.
Scientists, including those at the SETI Institute, observed the comet and gathered data on its origin, composition, and trajectory.
Key findings include an unusual prevalence of carbon dioxide over water ice, a nickel-to-iron ratio differing from Solar System comets, and a brightening event near perihelion
Thpe data collected will be valuable for future missions like ESA’s Comet Interceptor, preparing scientists to study future interstellar visitors. The article highlights the role of citizen scientists through the Unistellar Network in contributing to these observations.
Researchers have found shocked quartz at three Clovis culture archaeological sites, supporting the Younger Dryas impact hypothesis, which proposes a fragmented comet explosion contributed to megafaunal extinctions and the disappearance of the Clovis culture.
Carvings at Göbekli Tepe in Turkey may represent the world's oldest solar calendar, created as a memorial to a devastating comet strike, researchers suggest.
