Astrophotographer Releases New 3I/ATLAS Images Amidst Debate Over Object's True Nature

Canadian astrophotographer Paul Kaggas released a fresh set of images of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS on November 22, 2025, distributing them across various online platforms, including X. Kaggas asserts that these photographs reveal a more defined shape for the object and notably lack the characteristic coma or tail typically associated with cometary nuclei. This new visual evidence is certainly fueling the ongoing scientific discussion regarding the genuine identity of this cosmic visitor, which was first spotted on July 1, 2025.

Kaggas captured his observations using a portable Dwarf 3 telescope manufactured by DwarfLab. This instrument is equipped with a Sony IMX678 STARVIS 2 sensor and three integrated filters, enabling the capture of highly detailed astrophotography even under conditions of urban light pollution. The telescope features a 35mm periscopic lens and weighs just over one kilogram. Despite these compelling new visuals, the official stance from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) remains unchanged: 3I/ATLAS is categorized as a comet. NASA itself presented its own imagery on November 19, 2025, including during a broadcast featuring Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya.

Meanwhile, Harvard University Professor Avi Loeb continues his systematic effort to catalog anomalies that, in his view, cast serious doubt on a purely natural explanation for the object. Loeb has identified six 'primary' anomalies that do not align with standard cometary models. Furthermore, he has documented thirteen discrepancies when comparing the object's behavior to expected cometary patterns. Among these is the object's unusually precise trajectory, which aligns perfectly with the plane of the ecliptic—a statistical improbability that Loeb estimates at less than one in five hundred.

The observation campaign targeting 3I/ATLAS has been extensive, involving twelve distinct NASA assets. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), utilizing its HiRISE camera, managed to photograph the object on October 2, 2025, when it was roughly 0.2 astronomical units away from Earth (approximately 19 million miles). The European Space Agency (ESA) is also actively involved in the study via its Juice spacecraft, with data expected to arrive in February 2026. Earlier, in August, the Hubble Space Telescope detected a substantial CO2 tail and the presence of metals in the object's composition, observations that were also flagged as unusual.

The object, initially discovered by the ATLAS telescope system in Chile, is following a hyperbolic trajectory, indicating it is permanently exiting our Solar System. Its closest approach to Earth is scheduled for mid-December 2025, at a distance of 167 million miles. Historically, 3I/ATLAS marks the third confirmed interstellar object, following 1I/Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov. However, its estimated nucleus diameter could reach 20 kilometers, making it substantially more massive than its predecessors. While NASA, represented by figures such as HiRISE Principal Investigator Shane Byrne, firmly maintains a natural origin, Professor Loeb persists in arguing that the object's observed characteristics demand more imaginative scientific hypotheses for a full explanation.