NASA has unveiled stunning pictures of an interstellar comet passing through our solar system. Referred to as 3I/Atlas, it marks only the third confirmed celestial object to journey into our solar system from another star. The space agency showcased images of the comet during a media briefing held on Wednesday.

Numerous NASA spacecraft positioned near Mars captured visuals of the comet as it traversed through space, approximately 18 million miles away from the nearest spacecraft. Presently, the comet is located around 190 million miles from Earth and is anticipated to approach as close as 167 million miles in mid-December before veering back into interstellar space.

Gianluca Masi from the Virtual Telescope Project also focused on the comet, initially detected this summer, during an observation carried out from Italy today. The comet is visible from Earth in the early morning sky with the aid of binoculars.

Tom Statler, the primary scientist for solar system small bodies at NASA, stated to Live Science that the images are largely unprocessed and contain data that “the science community will be delving into for years.”

Named after the telescope in Chile that first identified it, 3I/Atlas has sparked online conspiracy theories hinting at a possible spaceship origin. Avi Loeb, an astrophysicist from Harvard, put forward this notion before retracting his statement on Medium in late October, acknowledging that the object is “most likely a naturally occurring comet.”

Despite the attention garnered by this theory, even prompting celebrity Kim Kardashian to inquire with NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy for details about 3I/Atlas, Duffy, a nominee of President Donald Trump, responded, affirming, “No aliens. No threat to life here on Earth.”

At the recent press conference, NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya refuted speculations regarding 3I/Atlas’ origins, emphasizing that all indications point towards it being a natural comet from another star system.

The European Space Agency’s Juice spacecraft has been focusing its cameras and instruments on the comet throughout the month, anticipating a period of heightened activity. However, scientists might not receive the observations until February due to the spacecraft’s main antenna currently serving as a heat shield while in proximity to the Sun, limiting data transmission, as confirmed by the agency.