The interstellar comet 31/ATLAS has sparked widespread interest since its discovery, with some speculating it could offer clues about alien life. However, new research confirms there is no evidence that an alien civilization created the object or that it’s an extraterrestrial spacecraft.
A Cosmic Mystery Without Alien Life
According to NASA and independent astronomers, the comet’s unusual features — including its rare “anti-tail” — are natural, though intriguing, phenomena.
The Guardian reports that Tom Statler, NASA’s lead scientist for Solar System small bodies, explained:
“It looks like a comet. It does comet things. It very, very strongly resembles, in just about every way, the comets that we know… the evidence is overwhelmingly pointing to this object being a natural body. It’s a comet.”
Discovery and Composition of 31/ATLAS
Astronomers at the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) spotted 31/ATLAS on July 1, 2025, after noticing a fast-moving object passing through our Solar System on an escape trajectory. This makes it the third confirmed interstellar visitor, following 1I/‘Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov.
