Overview
- NASA released processed images and data from a coordinated campaign and stated 3I/ATLAS is a natural comet that poses no threat to Earth.
- The object will pass closest to Earth around December 19 at roughly 270 million kilometers, remaining far beyond any hazardous range.
- Observations came from Mars orbiters including MRO/HiRISE and MAVEN, NASA’s Psyche and Lucy spacecraft, the Perseverance rover, ESA assets, ground telescopes, and planned JWST analysis.
- Officials describe a hyperbolic, interstellar trajectory with size estimates spanning about 440 meters to 5.6 kilometers, and reporting indicates an ancient origin on the order of billions of years.
- Avi Loeb and some amateurs criticized image processing and cited alleged anomalies such as trajectory alignment, jets, and composition, prompting calls for raw data as experts continue targeted observations.