The space oddity 3I/ATLAS has taken the world by storm as space watchers try to determine whether this object is a comet or of extraterrestrial origin. Now, with NASA’s new photos of 3I/ATLAS, the world is marveling at what has just been uncovered.
Previously NASA announced the live event of the unveiling of the images, which took place at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. The photos were “collected by a number of the agency’s missions,” according to their statement.
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During the event, Amit Kshatriya, Associate Administrator for NASA, first addressed rumors that 3I/ATLAS was alien life. He says that 3I/ATLAS is undoubtedly a comet.
“This object is a comet…all evidence points to it being a comet. This is only the third interstellar object humanity has ever found,” Kshatriya said.
Nicky Fox, associate administrator for NASA’s science mission directorate, pointed out that while “This one came from a different environment than our own,” it is not a danger to our world.
Shawn Domagal-Goldman, the acting director of NASA’s astrophysics division, shared that as NASA continues to add to its fleet of resources, it helps capture images of space objects like 3I/ATLAS. He also noted there may have been indications of it as early as May of this year.
Lastly, Tom Statler, NASA’s lead scientist for solar system small bodies, shared the comet’s trajectory timeline, starting in September. He also noted that the European science center SOHO captured striking images of 3I/ATLAS in mid-October.
NASA then posted these latest images on their social media platforms, writing:
We’ve just released our newest images of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, the third object we’ve ever seen passing through our solar system from elsewhere in the galaxy.
Its trajectory will take it no closer than 170 million miles from Earth—almost twice the distance between Earth and the Sun. Every observation our spacecraft and telescopes have made is consistent with 3I/ATLAS being a comet.
Interstellar objects give us a unique opportunity to learn more about what solar systems beyond ours are made of, so astronomers have been keeping a close eye on comet 3I/ATLAS on its arc around our Sun. Over the last several weeks, we’ve been studying the comet from our Lucy mission en route to the asteroid belt, our Sun-watching PUNCH satellites in low Earth orbit, and even our Perseverance rover on Mars!
NASA previously noted that 3I/ATLAS, “poses no threat to Earth and will get no closer than 170 million miles to Earth” and that it came “within 19 million miles of Mars in early October.”
The release of these images came right after the Virtual Telescope Project released photos of the interstellar object from telescopes located in Italy. In a livestream by The Virtual Telescope Project’s founder, Gianluca Masi, the European space organization shared its latest findings.
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“It was clear since the beginning that this object had something very special,” Masi stated. “It was moving pretty fast at the discovery time despite [the fact that] it was far from our Sun, 670 million kilometers.”
As researchers continue to study 3I/ATLAS, one thing is clear. This unlikely visitor reminds humanity of the vast, awe-inspiring mysteries of God’s creation and the great wonder the heavens can inspire within us.
Abby Trivett is a writer and editor for Charisma Media and has a passion for sharing the gospel through the written word. She holds two degrees from Regent University, a B.A. in Communication with a concentration in Journalism and a Master of Arts in Journalism. She is the author of the upcoming book, The Power of Suddenly: Discover How God Can Change Everything in a Moment.
