3I/ATLAS REVEALED New Image And Protocols For CONTACT

On October 21st, 2025, the Minor Planet Center, operating under the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, issued an official circular announcing a coordinated observation campaign for the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS. The circular was organized by the International Asteroid Warning Network, a group that monitors objects posing potential Earth impact threats. The two-month campaign, running from November 27th, 2025 through January 27th, 2026, aims to obtain precise positional measurements of the object, which proves challenging due to the gas and dust surrounding it that obscure its true center and complicate trajectory calculations.

The program includes a mandatory preparatory workshop on November 10th, followed by three teleconferences designed to standardize measurement techniques and evaluate the global community’s tracking capabilities for planetary defense purposes. According to the campaign details, accurate trajectories are critical for separating harmless objects from potential Earth impact risks, feeding directly into planetary defense and early warning systems.

New images captured by Dobsonian Power using a solar telescope reveal structures that are generating questions within the observing community. The processed images show a circular form with no massive tail, and the zoomed sections display patterns and details that look more geometric than diffused. These characteristics are not consistent with observed cometary behavior, raising concerns about the object’s true nature.

3I/ATLAS Image — Credits: Dobsonian Power

According to geophysicist Stefan Burns, as 3I/ATLAS approaches its nearest point to the sun on October 29th, 2025, the amount of energy hitting it is skyrocketing. Burns notes that when the object was far out in space between stars, it barely received any energy from the sun, but now as it approaches, it is receiving 10 billion times more energy. On October 21st, the sun released a massive coronal mass ejection heading straight towards the object. Data from spacecraft monitoring the sun shows that electron levels have already jumped more than 10x higher, and scientists expect another surge soon that could create a strong radiation storm.

On the same day the Minor Planet Center issued its circular, SETI released updated post-detection protocols for the first time since 2010. The previous version was published in 1989, and the 2025 update includes substantive revisions. The scope has expanded from focusing primarily on radio signals to encompassing techno-signatures broadly, including artificial structures, industrial atmospheric signatures, engineered electromagnetic emissions, and other technological indicators. A critical addition addresses communication and combating misinformation. The updated protocols explicitly prohibit individuals from transmitting replies to extraterrestrial intelligence without prior United Nations consultation. Reception and analysis are permitted, but transmission is not.

Minor Planet Center’s Circular

The timing raises significant questions about why SETI would release a comprehensive protocol update on the same day a global tracking campaign launches for an anomalous interstellar object. NASA recently transitioned under intelligence oversight, and public communication about 3I/ATLAS has been minimal compared to previous interstellar objects. When Oumuamua and Borisov passed through, there were press conferences, published studies, and continuous updates. With 3I/ATLAS, institutional silence is dominating.

And then CNN reported a mysterious order from US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who summoned hundreds of top U.S. generals and admirals to a meeting in Quantico, Virginia. According to the CNN report, the senior military officers will be coming from around the world, but no one seems to know why. The meeting location is approximately 54 kilometers from a major radio telescope facility, though the connection to the 3I/ATLAS observations remains unclear.

Sources

CNN. (2025, September 26). Hegseth calls hundreds of top officers to Virginia in rare move [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZliR1t8B_c

DAHBOO77. (2025, October 21). 3I/ATLAS’s Newest Image Shows CRAZY Looking Features, Death Star Type Shape with CENTAUR and More! [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6bxxy8EpH0

Dobsonian Power. (2025, October 21). NEW 3I/ATLAS LIVE CAPTURE WITH MY SOLAR TELESCOPE! [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DTcYPEK-CM

Garrett, M. A., Denning, K., Tennen, L. I., & Oliver, C. (2025). SETI post-detection protocols: Progress towards a new version (IAC-25-A4.2.4). International Academy of Astronautics. https://arxiv.org/pdf/2510.14506

MPEC 2025-U142 : Editorial Notice: Announcement of IAWN Comet Astrometry Campaign. (n.d.). https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/mpec/K25/K25UE2.html

Stefan Burns. (2025, October 22). GIGANTIC CME WAS JUST BLASTED STRAIGHT TO 3I/ATLAS 💥 The activation has begun [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPYNQNk7ihM