31/ATLAS a Normal Comet?
On the surface, 31/ATLAS behaves like a conventional comet. NASA scientist Tom Statler has stated that the object “very, very strongly resembles, in just about every way, the comets that we know,” pushing back against claims that it might be artificial.
Yet this normalcy is exactly what makes its anomalies so provocative. Orbital calculations, mass estimates, and emission profiles do not always align cleanly with expectations. Public speculation, including long-running discussions about the mystery of 31/ATLAS, highlights the tension between its familiar appearance and its stubbornly odd numbers.
Anti-Tails, Geometry, and a ‘Special Alignment’
One of the most visible anomalies involves the comet’s tail geometry. Observations show both a conventional dust tail and a striking anti-tail, a feature that appears to point toward the Sun. Anti-tails are rare but known, requiring extremely precise alignment between the comet, Earth, and the Sun.
In the case of 31/ATLAS, analysts argue that a “special alignment” is exaggerating this effect. As one observer put it, “Some of the weirdness may be in our vantage point rather than in the comet itself.” Critics counter that such fine-tuned geometry is statistically unsatisfying, feeding claims that chance alone is unlikely.
