In a year brimming with astronomical discoveries, the arrival of interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS has captivated sky-watchers with its hyperbolic trajectory. Unverified leaked NASA images claiming a dusty spacecraft-like form have fuelled fervent alien spacecraft debates online. Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb’s remarks that ‘it doesn’t look like a typical comet’ amplify the interstellar object’s intrigue, echoing ‘Oumuamua’s past controversies and prompting solar conjunction analyses.
As Hubble telescope imagery and comet tail jets emerge, the unexpected brightening of 3I/ATLAS, paired with viral claims and fringe theories, has intensified the clash between space conspiracy narratives and rigorous scientific scrutiny.
Discovery of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS and Official NASA Observations
Astronomers first spotted comet 3I/ATLAS on 1 July 2025 via the NASA-funded ATLAS telescope in Río Hurtado, Chile, confirming it as the third interstellar object to enter our solar system. Travelling at over 210,000 kilometres per hour, its hyperbolic path ensures a one-way journey, with perihelion occurring on 30 October 2025.
On 21 July 2025, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captured the comet from 277 million miles away, revealing a compact nucleus within its coma. The Mars Perseverance rover followed with surface views on 4 October 2025 during its closest planetary approach to Mars on 2–3 October 2025 at 29 million kilometres.
The European Space Agency’s Mars Express and ExoMars missions observed the comet, confirming its carbon dioxide-rich composition typical of cold stellar nurseries. Now 1.8 astronomical units or 270 million kilometres from Earth, 3I/ATLAS re-emerged post-solar conjunction and became visible to medium telescopes during November and December 2025 mornings.
The ESA’s JUICE probe is scheduled to observe the comet from 2 to 25 November 2025, with data expected to arrive by February 2026. These efforts highlight collaborative interstellar comet studies, free from extraterrestrial claims.
READ MORE: 3I/Atlas Alien Comet ‘Seen’ on Earth? TikTok Users Claim Interstellar Object Captured on Camera
Viral Online Claims of Leaked NASA Images Depicting Dusty Alien Craft
Social media erupted with unverified assertions of leaked NASA photos showing 3I/ATLAS as a ‘spacecraft-like shape covered in dust’, drawing parallels to ‘Oumuamua’s enigmatic form. One X post claimed, ‘3I/ATLAS new photo allegedly leaked from NASA, which is not confirmed, shows clearly a spacecraft defined by structural lines covered in dust. If this is real, it changes everything. The shape shown here is similar to Oumuamua.’
Japanese observers purportedly shared ‘breathtaking views’, while fringe outlets alleged a ‘mysterious message’ to Earth, all lacking official corroboration.
Harvard’s Avi Loeb amplified speculation in an October 2025 interview, stating the object’s post-Mars images reveal details ‘unlike a typical comet‘.
The New York Post highlighted a Manhattan-sized tail growth as potential ‘alien manoeuvre’, citing Loeb’s views: ‘Manhattan-sized space object 3I/ATLAS has grown a tail — which could be sign of alien “maneuver”.’
Such theories gained traction amid the comet’s unexpected brightening near perihelion, blending 2025 space conspiracy fervour with amateur telescope sightings. Yet, these claims remain speculative and unendorsed by any space agency.
Scientific Consensus Debunking Alien Spacecraft Narratives for 3I/ATLAS
NASA firmly debunked alien spacecraft theories on 11 September 2025, issuing a statement that rejected Harvard-linked theories as overhype. Fact-checkers clarified that scientists ‘did NOT agree‘ 3I/ATLAS was an ‘alien spacecraft approaching Earth for surprise attack’ in November 2025, attributing the viral spread to misinformation.
Avi Loeb’s ‘alien in origin‘ hypothesis faced solar conjunction testing, but experts from SETI and ExplorersWeb refuted it on 14 September 2025, citing the absence of artificial signals or debris.
In a Newsweek interview on 29 October 2025, Loeb quipped that the frenzy reflects ‘terrestrial stupidity‘ more than extraterrestrial intent. Ongoing analyses of its carbon dioxide and tail jets prioritise composition over conspiracy, ensuring that 2025’s interstellar comet research remains grounded in empirical science.
Originally published on IBTimes UK
