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Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, imaged by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope on July 21, 2025. (Image credit: NASA, ESA, David Jewitt (UCLA); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI))ShareShare by:
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On October 29, Comet 3I/ATLAS got to its nearest position relative to the sun.
This location, called perihelion, occurred roughly 210 million kilometers from the sun, or 1.4 times the expanse between the sun and the Earth, and it existed on the reverse side of the sun from our planet. As a result, the sun obscured the comet from our sight (from Earth). Currently, terrestrial telescopes have recommenced observing it.
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Astronomers identify the inaugural ‘radio emission’ emanating from interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS — however, it didn’t originate from aliens
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Upon its preliminary detection on July 1, 2025, via the Asteroid Terrestrial Last Alert System (or “ATLAS”), among the initial inquiries posed involved “but could this be aliens?”.
This doesn’t mark the premier occurrence where the alien question has arisen within the realm of a fresh astronomical revelation. Nonetheless, while it might present some entertainment, it can equally detract from genuine (and truly captivating) science and instigate false information.
An extensive record of conjecture
Related alien supposition surfaced when the inaugural pair of interstellar bodies was unearthed: 1I/2017 U1 ‘Oumuamua and Comet 2I/Borisov.
Moreover, it isn’t exclusive to interstellar entities.
During 2019, I composed my introductory public piece pertaining to a discovery I achieved as a doctoral candidate. My finding concerned radio emission derived from a binary star configuration, specifically, the initial entity detected by the MeerKAT telescope exhibiting temporal shifts in luminosity. Irrespective of its absence of extraterrestrial connections, the editorial team mandated that I encompass alien speculations.
Back in 1967, Jocelyn Bell Burnell, then a doctoral student, identified a quick succession of repetitive radio flashes.
She playfully designated it LGM 1, signifying “Little Green Men”, yet the involved astronomers didn’t genuinely believe they had encountered aliens. They did, however, voice apprehension regarding the likelihood of media coverage regarding aliens sensationalizing the discovery and impeding their scientific endeavors.
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Astronomers identify the inaugural ‘radio emission’ emanating from interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS — however, it didn’t originate from aliens
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‘3I/ATLAS is indeed a comet’: NASA ultimately disseminates recent 3I/ATLAS imagery and tackles extraterrestrial speculations
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Contrary to rumors, comet 3I/ATLAS hasn’t disintegrated — and that most certainly doesn’t imply it’s an alien spacecraft
A 7 billion-year-old traveler
Such reservations endure among astronomers to the present day.
Comet 3I/ATLAS is arguably the most ancient entity we’ve observed within our Solar System. Our Solar System coalesced 4.6 billion years prior, whereas current studies suggest that Comet 3I/ATLAS might potentially surpass 7 billion years in age.
It has expended a significant portion of that period traversing through space solely to occupy a few months inside our Solar System. At the point that the comet attained perihelion, it probably marked its closest proximity to a star spanning millions of years.
Studies indicate that the comet possesses a higher concentration of carbon dioxide in its outer strata compared to the majority of comets in our Solar System. Additionally, its nickel-to-other-elements ratio exceeds that observed in indigenous comets.
These compositional attributes render a distinctive perspective on the chemical makeup of the gaseous expanse that catalyzed the genesis of the solar system originating from the comet.
This comprises one of the predominant rationales for restricting our alien inquiries solely to occasions when all alternative prospects have been exhausted. Initially broaching the topic of aliens might cause us to overlook an abundance of remarkable data.
As articulated by astronomer Carl Sagan (in his revision of a principle espoused by French mathematician Pierre-Simon Laplace), “extraordinary claims necessitate extraordinary evidence”. Granted, we are unable to comprehensively elucidate every facet of the comet currently; however, incomplete knowledge doesn’t establish proof of aliens.
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Watch On Embrace the uncertainties
Furthermore, deliberations concerning aliens establish an avenue for the proliferation of misleading information.
To illustrate, claims have materialized regarding phenomena such as orbital variances and assertions of Comet 3I/ATLAS “concealing” behind the sun. Even despite the dearth of supporting evidence, numerous inquiries were directed my way along similar lines when I deliberated the comet through online mediums. This underscores the ease with which misinformation can be generated and propagated when we’re addressing “aliens”.
Techniques do exist for observing the comet whilst it’s situated beyond the sun. For example, the European Space Agency intends to scrutinize the comet utilizing the Mars Express, ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, and the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer.
And should you wish to examine the trajectory of Comet 3I/ATLAS alongside its present whereabouts, that option remains viable.
Perhaps poets may offer some insight. Romantic poet John Keats documented a concept termed “negative capability.” Despite its peculiar nomenclature, it pertains to the aptitude to comfortably coexist with “uncertainties, mysteries and doubts” while embracing the unknown.
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A substantial volume of information remains unrevealed pertaining to Comet 3I/ATLAS in conjunction with the universe itself. Were we privy to all knowledge presently, it would diminish the appeal of an astronomer’s role. Nonetheless, in the presence of ambiguity, humans possess a propensity to populate that void.
Within astronomical enigmas, the void generally becomes occupied by aliens. Regardless, the absence of definitive resolutions doesn’t substantiate the presence of aliens; rather, it signifies that we’re left with remaining responsibilities.
This revised article is reprinted courtesy of The Conversation, under a Creative Commons agreement. Review the original piece.
TOPICSSolar System3I/ATLAS
Laura Nicole DriessenPostdoctoral Fellow in Radio Astronomy, University of Sydney
Laura Nicole Driessen is a radio astronomer who utilizes Australia’s most substantial telescopes to scrutinize radio emanations originating from stars and transient entities residing within the radio cosmos. She finalized her BSc at Monash University in 2014, her MSc at the University of Amsterdam situated within the Netherlands, and her PhD at the University of Manchester located within the UK.
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Astronomers identify the inaugural ‘radio emission’ emanating from interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS — however, it didn’t originate from aliens
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