NASA Debunks Rumors About Interstellar Comet 3I/Atlas

NASA held the first press conference on the matter since the government shutdown ended.

An image of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS captured by the Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field Camera on July 21, 2025. NASA

With the federal government shutdown over, NASA leadership was finally able to provide an update to the public about an interstellar object that was caught passing through the solar system in July.

A press conference was livestreamed on Nov. 19, and it began with Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya confirming that the object known as 3I/Atlas was an interstellar comet and nothing else.