Elon Musk is making headlines again, and not because he wants to propose something crazy involving robots, but because he believes that 3I/ATLAS could collide with our planet.
He said it on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast and believes that this comet, discovered earlier this year, could destroy an entire continent if it were to impact Earth. But wait, it is not that we are in danger (not for now). Musk clarified that the scenario is hypothetical because it is not even heading toward our planet, but his words were enough to get astronomers and enthusiasts around the world debating. What if he were right?
A new neighbor
3I/ATLAS is the third-largest interstellar object ever observed from Earth. You probably remember the other two: ‘Oumuamua and Borisov. It is called an interstellar object because we do not know where it came from, it simply crosses our solar system and continues on its way.
It was detected from Chile by the ATLAS observation system, and its hyperbolic trajectory makes it clear that it does not orbit the Sun but just passes by.
And no, its actual size is still unknown. It is believed to measure anywhere from 400 meters to over 5 kilometers in diameter, almost the size of Manhattan. And Musk is convinced that an object like that could wipe out a continent (or at least cause catastrophic damage).
What if it were not a natural comet?
Shhhh, we love theories, don’t we? During the interview, Joe Rogan asked one of those questions we like: “What if 3I/ATLAS were not a comet but a ship? Or a metallic structure?”
And wait, because this theory is not made up from nowhere. They say the object has an unusually high concentration of nickel (a metal common in asteroids but rare in the proportions it shows). For now, there is no proof that it is a ship, but Musk admitted that its size alone could cause major damage to our planet in the event of a collision.
And really, we do not need to go far to know that any large collision can be a disaster, and if not, just ask the dinosaurs…
What does NASA say?
First of all, they want to calm nerves. For now, there is no risk. We still do not know its total size, and it is not on a collision course with our planet.
The comet already passed its closest point to the Sun on October 30, 2025, about 210 million kilometers away, and the next time it crosses will be December 19, but it will still be 270 million kilometers from Earth.
Nothing to worry about (we think).
Even so, scientists continue to study it because its composition is very strange and could give us clues about how materials form beyond the solar system. Many already believe it is something like a time capsule bringing hints from the other side of the galaxy.
Hawking already said it
And who else could have warned us about this in the past but Stephen Hawking? He said that contacting extraterrestrial civilizations could be very dangerous. He compared it to the arrival of Columbus in America, which ended as a clash between two cultures where one ended up subjugating the other.
“We do not know what is beyond the solar system… or who might be sending things toward us.”
We are very small
Although 3I/ATLAS will not collide with Earth, Musk’s message goes beyond sensationalism. Our planet is very vulnerable, and we are always at risk of being hit by space rocks or other types of phenomena we neither know nor control.
Deep down, his argument is not apocalyptic but about survival (and convenience, since we already know his future plans with Mars).
The 3I/ATLAS comet is not going to crash into us (for now), but researchers are already eager to learn more about it. NASA wants to study its composition, and Musk warns that its passage is a unique opportunity to learn more about the universe… and to remember how tiny we are in it.
While NASA studies its composition, Musk wants to warn that something could always happen because we are never completely safe (even if we have a superpowered atmosphere that traps almost everything that enters).