Archive · 25 Nov 2025
3I/ATLAS: New Images and Observations
A comet named 3I/ATLAS, discovered in 2025, is not from our solar system and is traveling very fast.
Recently, some people shared videos and pictures of the comet that seem to show it spinning or having dust rings around it.
Scientists haven't confirmed these observations yet, but they are interesting because the comet might have come from a very cold place in a distant star system.
It passed by Mars and is now moving away from the Sun.
You can see it with a telescope in the early morning sky through November and December.
Scientists are excited to learn more about this rare visitor from another star system.
NASA and other scientists confirm it is a natural comet, but some people think it might be something more unusual, like an 'alien mothership'.
New images of 3I/ATLAS show an elongated shape and a clear tail, captured by various astronomers and astrophotographers.
NASA released images taken by its Mars orbiter and other spacecraft, confirming 3I/ATLAS is a natural comet with no signs of technological origin.
Indian astronomers observed 3I/ATLAS from Mount Abu, noting a slight elongation and studying the gas release rate from the comet's nucleus.
The Virtual Telescope Project live-streamed images of 3I/ATLAS, showing a bright object with a coma and a clear tail.
Canadian astrophotographer Paul Craggs captured the clearest images of 3I/ATLAS, showing an elongated shape and a clear outline.
- Who
- NASA, ESA, Indian astronomers, astrophotographers, and the Virtual Telescope Project
- What
- New images and observations of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, including claims of spinning motion and dust rings
- When
- Discovered on July 1, 2025; perihelion on October 30, 2025; visible through November and December 2025
- Where
- Discovered in Chile; currently in the pre-dawn sky, low on the eastern horizon
- Why
- To understand the nature of the comet, its origins, and its behavior as an interstellar visitor
Scientific Skepticism
Public Speculation
Nature of Observations
Scientific Skepticism
The observed patterns could be natural phenomena like coma variations or dust jets, and require scientific verification.
Public Speculation
The patterns suggest a spinning motion or multiple objects, indicating unusual or even artificial origins.
Origin of 3I/ATLAS
Scientific Skepticism
NASA and other scientists confirm that 3I/ATLAS is a natural comet with no signs of technological origin.
Public Speculation
Some, like Harvard scientist Avi Loeb, suggest it could be an 'alien mothership' releasing tiny probes.
- Discovery Date
- July 1, 2025
- Discovery Location
- Chile (NASA-funded ATLAS survey)
- Speed
- More than 210,000 km/h
- Perihelion Date
- October 30, 2025
- Close Pass by Mars
- 29 million kilometers
- Observation Period
- November and December 2025 (telescopic observation)
- ESA Observation Period
- November 2 to 25, 2025 (JUICE mission)
- Expected Data Release
- 2026
- NASA Observation
- 12 spacecraft observed 3I/ATLAS
- Indian Observation
- Observed from Mount Abu, November 12-15, 2025
- Clearest Image
- Captured by Canadian astrophotographer Paul Craggs on November 22, 2025
Sources
New 3I/ATLAS Videos Raise “Spinning Comet” Claims: Check How To Track And Watch The Interstellar Visitor
Is 3I/ATLAS spinning? Viral video sparks fresh curiosity as netizens say ‘never seen anything like this’
