Unverified 3I/ATLAS photo and Japanese video go viral - NASA's silence fuels misinformation on interstellar comet

An alleged image of 3I/ATLAS is going viral on social media, with people claiming that it was released by NASA. However, the image remains unverified, but it has still managed to create shock and awe because of the unusual shape. The photo shows an elongated object, almost similar to Oumuamua, the first interstellar visitor. According to the post that carries four images of the supposed object, the "completely different and unexpected structure" was "captured by the Hubble Space Telescope." The post further reads, "According to NASA scientists, 3I/ATLAS appears to have an elongated shape, almost like a spacecraft, surrounded by a bright cocoon of dust." It further states that the "unusually symmetrical" shape of the object has fascinated scientists.

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NASA has not officially said anything about the alleged picture of 3I/ATLAS. Meanwhile, another post shows an object claiming to be 3I/ATLAS and pictured by Japanese scientists. "The Japanese strike again with a breathtaking view of 3i Atlas," the caption of a post showing a supposed video of the interstellar object reads. Both posts claiming to show 3I/ATLAS show the gaps in information, especially since NASA has gone mum on the matter since the government shutdown. Harvard scientist Avi Loeb has been calling on NASA to release images of 3I/ATLAS that the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured on October 2-3. But he is yet to receive any response.

NASA's silence is creating opportunities for misinformation

With a lack of clear data and the silence of esteemed space agencies that are supposed to share information, it is clear that people are rushing in to take advantage of a situation that is clearly generating global interest among the public. Earlier, NASA's silence led people to speculate that it had likely seen something that it wanted to keep under wraps, and that it could be proof that 3I/ATLAS is extraterrestrial alien technology. Netizens are sure that both the images and the videos are fake. They questioned the language of the video, which is not Japanese. The images in the other post released in the name of NASA also look AI-generated. However, to stop misinformation from spreading, NASA needs to step up and share everything it knows about 3I/ATLAS.