- Nearly perfect orbital alignment with the plane of the planets, something extremely rare in natural comets.
- Emission of nickel tetracarbonyl, a compound that on Earth is only produced in industrial processes.
- Frontal brightness and absence of a traditional tail, which suggest an internal energy source.
- Speed exceeding 200,000 km/h (124,274 mph) and precise trajectory, as if it were performing deliberate maneuvers.
- Atypical chemical composition, dominated by carbon dioxide and with very little presence of iron or water.
What NASA and the scientific community say
NASA and most astronomers maintain that 3I/ATLAS is a natural comet, although with striking peculiarities. The object was discovered in July 2025 from the ATLAS Observatory in Chile and is the third interstellar body detected in our solar system.










