Determining whether its jets align consistently with sunlight—or with something else—will help scientists decide which explanation makes more sense.
NASA Denies “Alien Craft” Claims After New Images of 31/ATLAS
NASA released long-awaited new images of 31/ATLAS after more than a month of partial shutdown. During the livestream, officials worked to dispel the idea that the interstellar traveler might be an alien mothership, directly addressing Loeb’s public claims.
Associate administrator Amit Kshatriya stated emphatically:
“This object is a comet. It looks and behaves like a comet, and all evidence points towards it being a comet.”
(link: https://www.nasa.gov)
Still, Loeb lists more than a dozen “anomalies” he claims challenge that conclusion—from unusual jet patterns to its improbable trajectory past multiple inner planets.
“Mother Nature was kinder to NASA than expected… by at least a factor of 100,000,” Loeb argued.
Will Jupiter Gain New Satellites After the Flyby?
One intriguing scientific angle is the possibility that 331/ATLAS’s passage could leave detectable debris or objects near Jupiter. According to Loeb’s analysis, spacecraft such as Juno could identify newly captured objects or unknown technological satellites in Jovian orbit.
