s3I/ATLAS May Be a Threat - Why NASA Has Not Released New Photos of Interstellar Comet

The interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS has garnered a lot of discussion online, with speculations on its movement and structural composition. In light of growing calls from the scientific community for NASA to release updated images of the comet, there may be a reason why the US agency has yet to do so.

Calls Continue for NASA to Release Updated Images of 3I/ATLAS

As 3I/ATLAS continues its passage across the Solar System, calls for NASA to release new images continue. Among those leading the request is Harvard scientist Dr. Avi Loeb. Dr. Loeb has been openly critical of NASA's reluctance to release new photos of 3I/ATLAS, which was first discovered in July.

Since then, Dr. Loeb has suggested that there was a 30 to 40 percent chance that 3I/ATLAS is not a 'naturally made' object. Even as the chances of the comet simply being what it is remains, space enthusiasts were still thrilled at the prospect of finding potential anomalies. Dr. Loeb has also been actively tracking the comet's movements, sharing updates via his Medium account.

In one particular update, Dr. Loeb shared that 3I/ATLAS may be behaving unusually as it approached the sun. Dr. Loeb also criticised NASA for its refusal to release a series of high-resolution photos of the interstellar comet on 2 October. The photos were taken by the camera of NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

'The truth is not decided by authority. NASA has no authority over nature to tell us what nature is. I mean, it's decided by data,' said Dr. Loeb. 'I find it really peculiar for NASA, it's sort of the signature of a bureaucratic body where hierarchy decides what is being done, and somehow, someone in the leadership decided to make a very bold and strong statement without attending of the data.'

Why NASA Has Not Released Its Latest Images of 3I/ATLAS

Speculation is rife that the reason NASA does not want to release its latest images of the comet is because it is actually an alien spacecraft. Should this be confirmed, it may be understandable that NASA would want to keep information classified.

However, the ongoing shutdown of the US federal government seems to be the actual reason as to why NASA has not taken any action yet. As NASA is considered to be a federal government agency, it is also affected by the ongoing government shutdown. The agency has also confirmed that no images would be released until the government reopens.

'NASA is a part of the federal government, which is currently shut down. Communications that do not pertain to the safety or property of life are not exempted,' said NASA in a statement to LADbible. 'Imagery will be released once the government reopens.'

China's Orbiter Releases GIF Image of the Interstellar Comet

Not long after NASA's decline to release any images, the Chinese space agency has released its own GIF images of the comet. China's Tianwen-1 Orbiter captured an image of 3I/ATLAS as it was flying by Mars. The GIF image was made up of a series of photos taken by the orbiter between 1 October and 4 October, with a static photo of the comet taken on 3 October.

'This was the first attempt to photograph such a distant and relatively dim target,' said the China National Space Administration in a statement, citing that it was not easy to take a high-quality photo of the comet. The CNSA said that 3I/ATLAS is 10,000 to 100,000 times dimmer than their usual subjects.

'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,' said the CNSA.