An interstellar mystery is streaking across our solar system, and the Chinese Space Agency has captured a new image of it.
China’s Tianwen-1 orbiter has captured unprecedented images of 3I/ATLAS, a bizarre Manhattan-sized object that’s sparking speculation of extraterrestrial origins.
The otherworldly object, officially classified as 3I/ATLAS, was photographed between October 1 and 4 using Tianwen-1’s High-Resolution Imaging Camera (HiRIC).
Chinese Spacecraft Captures Images of 3I/ATLAS
The China National Space Administration (CNSA) released both an animated GIF and a still image from October 3, marking a first-of-its-kind attempt to image such a distant, dim interstellar traveler.
“This was the first attempt to photograph such a distant and relatively dim target,” CNSA stated.
Capturing the comet wasn’t easy.
Designed to photograph the well-lit Martian surface, the orbiter’s camera had to target a faint object hurtling through space at 129,800 mph.
By comparison, the target was 10,000 to 100,000 times dimmer than Mars, according to IFLS science.
“The use of the high-resolution camera carried by the Tianwen-1 orbiter was determined, and key imaging strategies were carefully designed, ultimately leading to the successful completion of the observation,” CNSA added.
“This mission maximized the imaging capabilities of the high-resolution camera, specifically targeting the faint target.”
CNSA noted that the images captured distinct features, including a nucleus and coma spanning several thousand kilometers.
“Based on this observational data, researchers are conducting further in-depth studies of ATLAS,” the agency confirmed.
Interstellar Visitor Draws Global Eyes – and Deep Suspicion
ATLAS is only the third confirmed interstellar object ever detected in our solar system.
Discovered in July, it has defied expectations with behaviors that some scientists – most notably Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb – say might point to something beyond the natural.
Loeb has long raised eyebrows with his bold theory that 3I/ATLAS could be an alien probe. And now, new photos taken on November 5 by the R. Naves Observatory in Spain are fueling that speculation.
Despite expectations, the comet appeared to show no visible tail – an anomaly that could upend the conventional comet theory.
Loeb explained: “For a typical comet, [passing the sun] should have resulted in a massive coma with dust and gas that would have been pushed by the solar radiation pressure and the solar wind to the shape of a typical cometary tail pointing away from the Sun.”
Instead, the object remained intact, presenting what he described as: “a compact source of light.”
This surprising behavior might point to artificiality, Loeb argues. He noted that as much as 13% of the nucleus mass should be trailing the object if it were behaving like a standard comet.
“This offers a clean test of the nature of 3I/ATLAS in the coming weeks,” Loeb told The New York Post. “If 3I/ATLAS is a natural comet, it should be surrounded by a massive cloud of gas that carries at least 13 percent of the original nucleus mass.”
If the object fails to develop a tail, Loeb maintains, it’s likely not a naturally occurring comet.
Missing NASA Images and Political Pressure for Disclosure
The race to photograph 3I/ATLAS hasn’t been limited to China. The European Space Agency’s Mars Express and the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) have also captured images of the object from Mars’ orbit.
Meanwhile, NASA’s own HiRISE camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter reportedly snapped an image on October 2 – yet that photo has not been made public.
Loeb has publicly accused NASA of withholding the image, which he believes could provide key insight into the object’s true nature.
According to Loeb, the tail of 3I/ATLAS is behaving strangely—pointing toward the Sun rather than away, which he says defies cometary physics.
His claims gained traction after Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna penned a letter to acting NASA administrator Sean Duffy requesting the release of all 3I/ATLAS-related data and images.
“I write to request the release of specific observational data related to 3I/ATLAS, recently captured by NASA missions,” Luna wrote. “This information is of great importance to advancing our understanding of interstellar visitors and their interaction with our solar system.”
Loeb praised Luna’s move in a Medium post, writing: “We all owe a debt of deep gratitude for the visionary support displayed by Representative Luna to frontier science through her letter.”
