NASA has initiated the STAR WAR?!
NASA and Global Scientists Divide Over Mysterious Interstellar Visitor 3I/ATLAS
NASA, the European Space Agency, and research institutions worldwide have launched a historic planetary defense campaign in response to unusual activity from the newly discovered interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. The Manhattan-sized object, believed to have originated beyond the solar system, is now approaching its closest point to the Sun on October 29, 2025.
The International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) confirmed that 3I/ATLAS has been designated for an intensive observation campaign from November 27, 2025, to January 27, 2026. This marks the first time an interstellar object has been officially included in a planetary defense mission. The initiative aims to refine tracking and astrometry methods after early data revealed unpredictable motion patterns.
Astronomers initially observed several anomalous traits: instead of shedding material away from the Sun, the comet developed a rare “anti-tail” pointing directly toward it. More recent readings show the tail’s direction flipping back into a typical sunward orientation, confirming its volatile composition. Space agencies are coordinating instruments aboard NASA’s Europa Clipper and ESA’s Hera spacecraft, which may pass through the comet’s ion tail in early November to collect direct interstellar samples.
Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb reignited controversy after detecting nickel tetracarbonyl emissions — a compound seldom found in natural bodies — and suggesting the possibility of artificial design. Loeb estimates that the object’s alignment with Earth’s orbital plane has only a 0.2% probability of occurring by chance. His claims have attracted both intrigue and skepticism.
NASA Small Bodies Program scientist Tom Statler rejects the idea of extraterrestrial engineering, emphasizing that 3I/ATLAS displays normal comet behavior. “It looks like a comet, it behaves like one, and all available evidence supports that assessment,” he stated. European Space Agency planetary defense chief Richard Moissl echoed this sentiment, reaffirming that observations show typical volatile gases like water vapor and carbon dioxide.
Space telescopes, including Hubble and James Webb, have revealed that 3I/ATLAS radiates an unusual green hue due to a high carbon dioxide-to-water ratio — roughly eight to one. The comet is shedding about two million tons of material per month, only a minuscule fraction of its estimated 33-billion-ton mass.
Currently racing through the solar system at nearly 58 kilometers per second (approximately 210,000 kilometers per hour), 3I/ATLAS is the fastest object ever recorded entering from interstellar space. After rounding the Sun, it will vanish behind it until December before its final visible pass — marking humanity’s last chance to study this enigmatic messenger before it leaves our cosmic neighborhood forever.
