Contrary to what was widely circulated on social media platforms in terms of warnings and catastrophic scenarios, Comet 31ATLAS (3I/ATLAS) passed safely near Earth, without registering any impact or threat to the planet.
Engineer Majed Abu Zahra, head of the Astronomical Society in Jeddah, confirmed that the comet passed through the Earth's vicinity in complete safety, noting that all observational readings and scientific data denied from the beginning any possible risks, and this ended the state of unscientific controversy that accompanied its appearance.
Abu Zahra explained that social media platforms have been circulating inaccurate claims over the past few weeks linking the comet to catastrophic scenarios, which have been amplified without relying on credible scientific evidence.
He explained that continuous monitoring by global observatories and space agencies confirmed that “Atlas 31” is a natural comet, moving according to the laws of gravity in a precisely calculated path and at a safe distance from Earth.
He pointed out that spectral and behavioral analyses showed characteristics consistent with its icy and dusty composition, like historically known comets, refuting claims that it was an artificial object or of an unknown nature.
He added that precise observations, which included tracking its light movement and analyzing its spectrum, revealed clear signatures of volatile gases and ice, along with increased activity as it approached the sun, a scientifically known behavior for natural comets.
The president of the Astronomical Society attributed the mystery surrounding the comet to its high apparent speed and its unfamiliar orbit to non-experts, in addition to the widespread dissemination of unscientific interpretations via social media.
He emphasized that the observations of “Atlas 3” contributed to achieving important scientific gains, including improving models of the movement of small objects, collecting additional data on the composition and activity of comets, and testing the accuracy of orbital predictions in real time.
Abu Zahra stressed the importance of distinguishing between information based on scientific evidence and claims that are not scientifically supported, especially in light of the rapid spread of information through digital platforms.
It is worth mentioning that Comet 31ATLAS (3I/ATLAS) is a rare stellar object from outside the solar system, discovered by NASA in 2025. It does not pose any threat to Earth, as it reached its closest point to the Sun on October 29, 2025, and approached Earth on December 19, 2025.
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