[Epoch Times, November 20, 2025] (Epoch Times reporter Li Yan comprehensive report) The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) released a series of new images and observation data of comet 3I/ATLAS on Wednesday (November 19), revealing the much-anticipated appearance of this mysterious interstellar visitor.

3I/ATLAS is the third interstellar object observed by astronomers, following 'Oumuamua and Borisov.

3I/ATLAS was discovered by the ATLAS telescope in July, and its trajectory confirms that it is passing through the outer solar system.

"This comet may have formed more than 8 billion years ago, making it older than our solar system—the oldest object we have ever observed up close," exclaimed Chris Lintott, an astrophysicist at Oxford University.

The key images released this time include observational data from NASA's Mars missions. For example, the MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution) spacecraft, orbiting Mars, captured a clear cometary halo around 3I/ATLAS on October 9.

On October 9, 2025, instruments on the MAVEN spacecraft orbiting Mars revealed a halo of gas and dust surrounding 3I/ATLAS, known as a coma. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/MAVEN)

NASA: Ruled out extraterrestrial technology signals

Due to 3I/ATLAS's unusual orbit, it has been speculated to be "alien technology." NASA officials directly addressed these "rumors" at the start of the press conference.

NASA Deputy Administrator Amit Kshatriya stated bluntly: "First, I want to clarify the rumors about 3I/ATLAS itself. This object is a comet. It looks and behaves like a comet. All the evidence points to it being a comet."

Nicola Fox, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, also emphasized: "We really didn't see any technical features or other indications that would lead us to believe it wasn't a comet."

NASA Scientific Evidence

NASA's observational data and the analysis of most experts tend to classify 3I/ATLAS as a natural celestial object:

Morphological evidence: The MAVEN images clearly show the signature feature of natural comets—the coma, the hazy cloud of gas and dust surrounding the comet's nucleus. This confirms that its internal icy material is evaporating.

Dynamics analysis: The analysis by ATLAS co-principal investigator Larry Denneau is one of the core pieces of evidence. He emphasizes that the object's behavior is very similar to that of a natural solar system comet. Its motion can be explained by the Sun's gravity, "with no indication of any other possibility."

Physical composition: Comets contain common elements such as carbon dioxide, water, cyanide, and small amounts of nickel. Their composition is highly consistent with that of known comets in the solar system.

Kasharia also pointed out that NASA is actively searching for life in the universe (for example, the Mars rover Perseverance has found potential signs of ancient microbial life), which shows that NASA is willing to confirm signs of life, but only based on evidence.

Harvard scientists raised objections.

However, Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb stands on the side of scientific dissent. He publicly questions whether 3I/ATLAS exhibits at least 12 anomalies that cannot be explained by the traditional "iceberg" theory.

His arguments include: its gas plume contains an extremely high proportion of nickel and cyanide (similar to industrial alloys), its orbit is unusually close to the ecliptic plane, and it is unusually close to multiple planets during its flight through the solar system.

Loeb stated, "The truth will be revealed through the sharing of data, not through the gatekeeper's narrative." He believes that the scientific community should not rule out the possibility of "alien technology" simply because of a lack of evidence.

NASA states that 3I/ATLAS poses no threat to Earth and is currently departing the solar system as planned.

(This article references reports from NASA and Reuters)

Editor in charge: Ye Ziwei #

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