3I/ATLAS Interstellar Object 'Lies': Scientist Claims 'Amateur Astronomers' Manipulate Photos to Make It Look Alien

Amid the twinkling stars, a cosmic interloper has captured the world's imagination – or has it? The interstellar object dubbed 3I/ATLAS, discovered in July 2025, has sparked wild speculation about alien origins.

Yet, in a twist worthy of a sci-fi thriller, a prominent scientist has come forward, decrying the whole affair as a web of lies spun by overzealous amateur astronomers who, he claims, manipulate photographs to make the object appear otherworldly.

This revelation threatens to burst the bubble of extraterrestrial enthusiasm that has enveloped the scientific community and public alike.

The Arrival of an Interstellar Enigma

3I/ATLAS was first spotted by the ATLAS survey in Chile, marking it as the third confirmed interstellar object to visit our solar system. Travelling at a blistering 153,000 miles per hour at perihelion, it has exhibited peculiar behaviours, including jets and an anti-tail pointing towards the Sun – features unusual for a typical comet.

Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb has suggested these anomalies could indicate artificial origins. 'It might be an alien spacecraft,' Loeb has speculated, criticising NASA's stance that it's a natural comet.

Amateur images show stunning jets and tails, fuelling the alien hypothesis. NASA released new images on 19 November 2025, but these have been lambasted for fuzziness. On X, NASA shared: 'We've just released our newest images of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS.'

The object's survival of solar pass without fragmentation contrasts with some comets, though it lost mass. Speculations range from probes to natural chemistry, with organic molecules detected. NASA's observations add to the mystery.

Voices of Dissent

But not everyone is convinced. In a scathing Reddit post, an anonymous astronomer argues that we're being lied to – not by NASA, but by grifters and misguided amateurs. 'Amateur astronomers can physically not make any detailed observations of the comet,' the post asserts, explaining atmospheric distortion and distance limit visibility to large features, while 3I/ATLAS is a few kilometres across.

The scientist accuses Loeb of fallacious statistics to peddle alien theories for attention. 'Loeb does not want to convince experts, he wants to convince people who know less than he does,' it claims. Comments echo this, noting supposed textures are artifacts. Amateurs can observe coma changes.

Unmasking the Manipulations

Delving deeper, the critic explains how enhancement techniques distort images, creating illusions of structure. For instance, JWST artifacts like star rays are mistaken for real features. The same processing tricks that produce dramatic 'alien' shapes in amateur stacks are dismissed by professionals as routine optical and atmospheric artefacts

As 3I/ATLAS approaches its closest point to Earth on 19 December 2025, the jury remains out. But this astronomer's bold claims remind us that in the pursuit of cosmic truths, scepticism is our greatest ally. Perhaps the real aliens are the misconceptions we create along the way.

In essence, the saga of 3I/ATLAS exposes a familiar fault line: extraordinary claims, amplified by viral images and celebrity academics, colliding with the cold limits of optics and evidence. While genuine anomalies warrant scrutiny, the rush to proclaim extraterrestrial visitors from over-sharpened pixels and wishful statistics risks turning legitimate wonder into self-inflicted farce.