Interstellar Comet Live Tracker: Did 3I/ATLAS Make Its Closest Approach To Earth? Why People Are Calling It An Alien Spacecraft

Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS has just made its closest pass by Earth. came within about 168 million miles (270 million km) of our planet. Scientists say there is no danger at all as the object passed very far away from Earth, Space.com reported. What makes 3I/ATLAS special is that it comes from outside our solar system. It is only the third interstellar object ever confirmed to enter our neighbourhood.The earlier two were ‘Oumuamua, discovered in 2017, and 2I/Borisov, found in 2019. For scientists, 3I/ATLAS is important because it gives a rare chance to study material from another star system without sending a spacecraft.Its trajectory shows a hyperbolic path, meaning it did not originate around the Sun and will eventually leave the solar system forever.Scientists

say 3I/ATLAS is a natural comet made of ice, dust and gas that likely formed around another star system billions of years ago before being flung into interstellar space. It was first detected by the ATLAS survey in Hawaii and early observations show a visible coma and normal outgassing behaviour, which are typical signs of a comet heating up as it approaches the Sun. Unlike ‘Oumuamua, which behaved in unusual ways, 3I/ATLAS looks and acts like a standard comet.Despite this, the comet has sparked many posts and videos on social media claiming it could be an alien spacecraft. These claims mostly come from the fact that it came from outside our solar system, is moving very fast, and reminds people of the earlier ‘Oumuamua debate, where some scientists briefly discussed the idea of an artificial object.Also Read: Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS To Make Its Closest Approach To Earth Tonight: Timing, How To Watch, And More However, experts say there is no sign that this comet is anything other than natural. Interstellar comets are expected to move at high speeds and follow unusual paths, so there is nothing strange or alien about it.Is this conversation helpful so far?Astronomers say there is no evidence that 3I/ATLAS is artificial or linked to aliens. The object shows no controlled movement, no propulsion, no metallic structure and no signals that suggest communication. Everything observed so far matches how a natural space object should behave.Scientists believe 3I/ATLAS is an icy body moving only due to gravity, exactly as expected when an object enters our solar system for the first time from interstellar space.This close flyby is important because it gives researchers a rare chance to study material from another star system without sending a spacecraft. By studying its makeup and movement, scientists hope to learn more about how planets and comets form outside our solar system, and how often such interstellar objects visit our cosmic neighbourhood.