After a prolonged US government shutdown, NASA has resumed nonessential operations and held a press conference to address the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS. The agency released previously reserved images and confirmed it is a comet, dismissing online speculations about alien technology.
The US government shutdown had delayed NASA's nonessential activities, including analysis of recent astronomical discoveries. With operations restarting, the space agency wasted no time in addressing public interest in 3I/ATLAS, an object detected as originating from outside our solar system.
At the press conference, NASA scientists presented images of 3I/ATLAS that had been held back during the shutdown. These visuals provided clearer evidence of the object's composition and trajectory, supporting the classification as a comet rather than any artificial structure.
"3I/ATLAS is in fact a comet," NASA officials stated, directly countering the flood of internet speculations linking it to alien technology. The confirmation aligns with observations from telescopes tracking its path near the sun and moon.
This development underscores NASA's role in debunking misinformation while advancing interstellar research. Keywords associated with the event include space, NASA, moon, comets, telescope, and sun, highlighting the scientific focus.