The internet is buzzing once again with speculation about extraterrestrial life after NASA reportedly released a photograph of the mysterious interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, a discovery that has reignited conspiracy theories across social media.
The image, allegedly captured by NASA’s Perseverance rover on Mars, shows what appears to be a bright, cylindrical object streaking through the planet’s dusty sky. The photo quickly went viral, with some online users claiming it’s an “alien mothership” or a “UAP caught on camera”.
However, experts have urged caution. Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb explained that the object’s unusual appearance could simply be due to motion blur, caused by its high speed and the distance from which it was photographed. Reports from NDTV suggest that 3I/ATLAS measures roughly 46 kilometres in diameter and is travelling at an astonishing 60 kilometres per second, making it the fastest known interstellar object.
While the European Space Agency (ESA) has acknowledged the sighting, NASA has yet to issue an official statement confirming that the image indeed shows 3I/ATLAS.
First detected on 1 July 2025, the comet is hurtling toward the inner Solar System at about 209,000 km/h. Its trajectory will bring it closest to the Sun on 30 October, sparking both excitement and anxiety among sky-watchers. Some theorists have gone as far as to suggest it poses a “hostile alien threat”, while others believe it may hold clues to the origins of the universe itself.
Whatever the truth, 3I/ATLAS joins ʻOumuamua and 2I/Borisov as the only confirmed interstellar visitors to our solar system, each deepening the mystery of what lies beyond our cosmic neighbourhood.
