3I/ATLAS Live Tracker: Calls grow for NASA to release MRO images of interstellar comet
&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "3I/ATLAS Live Tracker: Calls grow for NASA to release MRO images of interstellar comet")
Why is NASA silent on 3I/ATLAS? Photograph: (ESO)
NASA is quickly finding itself in the midst of a big controversy as it continues to remain silent on 3I/ATLAS despite growing calls for more information. The comet is only the third interstellar object observed in our solar system, the first two being Oumuamua and Borisov.
Why is NASA silent on 3I/ATLAS? The interstellar comet has triggered a raging debate on bureaucracy and the value of information. Harvard scientist Avi Loeb says that keeping such information secret means losing a battle against time. He has asked NASA to release data on 3I/ATLAS so more studies can be done about its nature before it leaves the solar system. Meanwhile, the comet is slowly becoming visible from Earth. Scientists have detailed how and where to look to spot 3I/ATLAS.
You can see 3I/ATLAS from Earth now using a good pair of binoculars or a telescope. Experts say that it is visible near Venus and the bright star Spica in Virgo. You can use a stargazing app such as SkySafari, Sky Tonight or a stellar map to find Venus and Spica.
Amid the silence maintained by NASA, there has been room for people to make all kinds of speculation in its name. Some photos supposedly of 3I/ATLAS are circulating online, claiming to be from NASA and leaked. There is also a video of an object which the poster says is of 3I/ATLAS and captured by Japan. None of them are verified and are most likely fake and mislabeled.
On October 2-3, 3I/ATLAS flew by closely to Mars. The Perseverance rover is said to have observed the comet, and so did the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. NASA has not released any data on everything the orbiter and rover saw. We only have one image of 3I/ATLAS from Mars that was released by the European Space Agency.
NASA is under immense pressure to release everything that its orbiter on Mars saw on October 2-3. Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna sent a letter to Acting Administrator Sean Duffy on October 31, calling on NASA to urgently release data. "This information is of great importance to advancing our understanding of interstellar visitors and their interaction with our solar system," Luna wrote.
