On Wednesday, NASA released new pictures of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, which has been passing through the solar system since July. The comet has been passing through the Earth’s solar system over the past few months, having been first detected in July.
This undated diagram shows the trajectory of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS.(via REUTERS)
The comet has been subject to massive buzz after questions about its origin, and if it is really a comet, were being raised. As a result, when NASA released the pictures on Wednesday, as previously announced, they were met with disappointment. Many on social media rue that the pictures were blurred and did not have the right quality.
Hundreds of posts were made slamming NASA about the 3I/ATLAS pictures.
“After all these days of delay and hype, this is the pixelated picture that NASA released of 3I/Atlas LMFAOOOO IS THIS A JOKE,” wrote one.
“NASA just dropped their “groundbreaking” new images of 3I/ATLAS after a $30 billion budget and months of hype…It’s a blurry white dot with a fuzzy halo,” wrote one.
“Meanwhile, some dude in his backyard with a $500 Walmart telescope and a Red Bull just stacked this absolute banger showing jets, tails, and structure clearer than NASA’s entire press http://conference.”
“We’ve got citizen astronomers out here taking better photos of 3I/ATLAS than NASA. 👀 Make it make sense,” said another.
Harvard Scientist Abi Loeb Reacts To NASA Presser
Harvard astronomer, Abi Loeb, who has bell at the forefront of the buzz around the 3I/ ATLAS was quick to react to NASA’s presser on Wednesday. On the offensive front with the space research organization over the 3I/ ATLAS, Loeb has raised many questions about the object’s origin and nature, contributing to many of the breakthroughs.
Also read: Fact check: Is 3I/ATLAS an alien spacecraft or a comet? Scientists say…
On Wednesday, after the presser, Loeb appeared on News Nation and and slammed NASA saying they “did not reveal” anything new.
“There were no new insights as to the properties of this object,” Loeb said. “They pretty much repeated things we already knew.”
Here’s the video of Avi Loeb reacting to the NASA presser today:
The 3I/ATLAS will be closest to Earth on 19 December 2025.