NASA debunks 'alien tech' comet rumors
NASA has shot down rumors that the newly spotted interstellar comet, 3I/ATLAS, is some kind of alien tech.
The buzz started after Harvard's Avi Loeb pointed to its odd path and absence of the typical gaseous tails of dust and plasma common to comets originating inside the solar system as possible signs of "active intelligence."
But NASA's experts say it's just a natural comet doing its thing.
No worries about Earth
NASA scientist Tom Statler explained that 3I/ATLAS is behaving exactly like a normal comet—its dust tail/plume is showing up now as it gets closer to the Sun.
Its speedy, hyperbolic orbit matches what you'd expect from something visiting from outside our solar system.
No worries about Earth either: it'll stay at least 170 million miles away at its closest, although this does not occur at the end of October 2025 when it is closest to the Sun.
Rare chance to study material from beyond our solar system
Even if it's not aliens, 3I/ATLAS is a rare chance to study material from beyond our solar system.
NASA says weird features like its changing activity are just what happens when icy comets heat up near the Sun.
Scientists will get more data once it pops back into view in December—so there's still plenty for space fans to be excited about!