A recently circulated video claiming to show new footage of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS has been debunked. Contrary to the assertions made in social media posts, the clip does not originate from any recognized astronomy agency. Instead, it features a microscopic organism known as a paramecium.
The misleading video was posted on X by a user identified as @BGatesIsaPyscho on October 27, 2025. The caption read: “🚨 New 3I/Atlas Footage just dropped !!” A reverse image search conducted on October 29, 2025, revealed that the video did not generate any credible results, underscoring its misleading nature.
A response from Jack A. Gilbert, a microbiologist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, confirmed the organism’s identity. He stated in an email that the organism depicted in the video is indeed a paramecium, likely a freshwater variety. He noted that better imaging techniques and contextual information would aid in more precise identification.
Currently, the NASA webpage dedicated to multimedia content about comet 3I/ATLAS is not being updated due to a lapse in federal funding, as indicated in an archived notice. While NASA has previously published images of the comet in July and August, none resemble the organism in the viral video.
On September 4, 2025, the National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NOIRLab) released an image of 3I/ATLAS captured by the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph at Cerro Pachón in Chile. The image illustrates the comet moving through a dense star field, resulting in colorful streaks due to the changing positions of background stars relative to the comet during exposure.
As misleading information continues to proliferate on social media, it is crucial for the public to verify claims with credible sources. Investigations into similar claims surrounding 3I/ATLAS have been conducted by Lead Stories, highlighting the importance of fact-checking in an age of rapid information dissemination.
