Kathrine Frich
A Hollywood star has unexpectedly entered one of science’s most controversial space debates.
The conversation began online but has now reached the highest levels of NASA and the academic world.
Celebrity joins debate
When Kim Kardashian asked NASA’s acting administrator on X about the strange comet known as 3I/ATLAS, her post quickly caught the agency’s attention.
Sean Duffy, who also serves as U.S. Secretary of Transportation, replied that the object posed no danger to Earth.
According to NASA, 3I/ATLAS is the third known interstellar comet to pass through the Solar System. Duffy assured followers, “No aliens. No threat to life here on Earth.”
But Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb, who leads the Galileo Project and directs the Black Hole Initiative at Harvard University, remains unconvinced.
He has invited Kardashian to join his research team examining the object’s unexplained behavior.
Scientists shut out
Loeb said researchers have been unable to study new images of the comet because the U.S. government shutdown has halted data sharing.
“The dissemination of scientific information should not be held hostage to politics,” he wrote in a blog post.
He explained that photographs taken by NASA’s HiRISE camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in early October could be crucial for understanding the comet before it exits the Solar System.
Scientists, he said, have repeatedly requested access but received no response.
Loeb added that public figures received faster replies than scientists or lawmakers.
“We should be humble about what we know and curious about 3I/ATLAS rather than insist on conclusions before the data is analyzed,” he wrote.
Strange anomalies
Loeb has listed several irregularities that have drawn attention. The comet’s path aligns almost exactly with the plane of the planets, a chance he estimates at just 0.2%.
It has also released nickel with little iron, a pattern rare in nature but seen in industrial metalwork.
In interviews with NewsNation, Loeb said this could suggest artificial design. “So is it technological? Was the trajectory created by some intelligence?” he asked.
Observers noted further anomalies as the comet made close passes near Jupiter, Venus, and Mars last week.
NASA’s records show slight non-gravitational acceleration, prompting some to speculate that an internal engine could be driving it.
Renewed speculation
Appearing on a recent episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” Elon Musk said it was possible “it could be aliens,” suggesting gravity alone may not explain its motion.
A recent research paper also noted that 3I/ATLAS glows bluer than the Sun, which some scientists consider a possible sign of technology.
Loeb believes upcoming observations may determine whether the object leaves behind a debris cloud.
“The absence of such a cloud would suggest propulsion by something other than evaporation,” he wrote.
NASA continues to describe 3I/ATLAS as a natural interstellar comet. The agency says there is no evidence of any threat as it moves toward its closest approach to Earth on December 19.
Sources: New York Post, NewsNation, NASA, Harvard University
This article is made and published by Kathrine Frich, who may have used AI in the preparation
