Overview
- With days left in 2025, believers point to a forecast of a 'new light in the sky' enabling first contact during a major broadcast.
- Speculation centers on New Year's Eve coverage and the Africa Cup of Nations after earlier windows passed without confirmation.
- The interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, detected on July 1 on a hyperbolic path from beyond the solar system, has been linked by followers to the claim.
- NASA and other astronomers describe 3I/ATLAS as a lifeless comet and suggest meteors, aurorae or a distant supernova as natural explanations for any bright sky event.
- No verified extraterrestrial contact has occurred as outlets also recycle unverified 2026 prophecies about war, disasters, economic turmoil and alien encounters from posthumous attributions.