Kathrine Frich
Public anticipation grew ahead of NASA’s latest briefing on the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, but the agency’s new visuals sparked more frustration than clarity.
As debate intensified online, Elon Musk chimed in with a one-word reaction that only fuelled speculation.
His response landed just as NASA attempted to calm rumours about the object’s nature.
A message from NASA
NASA used a streamed press event to unveil its newest images of 3I/ATLAS, which was first detected on July 1. The object has been the focus of intense online theorising, with some insisting it might be artificial.
Officials pushed back firmly, saying nothing in the data pointed to anything other than a natural origin.
“This object is a comet,” said Amit Kshatriya, the agency’s associate administrator, in an effort to dismiss circulating claims.
The update followed months of public fascination, as the object races through the Solar System faster than known comets typically travel.
Musk’s brief reply
Musk, whose own companies operate spacecraft and launch vehicles, offered his view in the form of a quick post on X. Responding to NASA, he wrote only:
“Alienz 👽”.
Users quickly flooded his replies with jokes and speculation.
Some teased the billionaire about whether the object was coming for him, while others seized on the comment to question NASA’s account.
Many viewers still insisted the agency was holding back details despite NASA’s attempt to counter online theories.
Backlash over the images
The newly released photographs, captured by the HiRISE camera aboard NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, became an instant target of criticism.
The images showed faint specks of light against darkness, providing little detail for curious viewers.
Social media users questioned why the closest camera available could return so little clarity.
“If we can see grains of sand on Mars, how is the clearest photo for 3I/ATLAS what we’ve seen this evening?” one commenter wrote.
Others reacted with disbelief, frustration or humour.
Several suggested the agency must be hiding information, while another joked the image looked “like my grandfather with a flashlight in the backyard
Ongoing online scepticism
NASA explained that 3I/ATLAS is vastly farther away than the Martian surface, making detailed imaging far more difficult.
Even so, critics were unmoved, calling the photographs “terrible” or demanding closer shots.
A number of viewers echoed long-running suspicions surrounding unexplained space events. One remarked: “For people who have nothing to hide, they sure do justify themselves a lot.”
Despite the speculation, NASA maintained its position that the object is a comet and poses no unusual threat.
Sources: Daily Star, NASA
