NASA has officially released long-awaited close-up images of the interstellar comet 31/ATLAS, ending months of speculation and online rumors that the object was evidence of alien life. The space agency emphasized in its Wednesday briefing that despite intense public buzz, including commentary from celebrities like Joe Rogan, the comet is behaving exactly as expected for a natural interstellar visitor.
NASA Confirms 31/ATLAS Is an Interstellar Comet—Not Alien Technology
“This object is a comet,” said NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya. “It looks and behaves like a comet, and all evidence points to it being a comet, but this one came from outside of the solar system, which makes it fascinating, exciting, and scientifically important.”
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Discovered over the summer by the Chile-based ATLAS telescope, 31/ATLAS is only the third confirmed interstellar object detected in human history. Its images—captured by three NASA spacecraft as the comet passed near Mars in October—were delayed for weeks due to the federal government shutdown.
