The mysterious interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS will hit perihelion on October 29, 2025 the point at which it comes closest to the Sun, marking a potentially dramatic change for the comet. While scientists are confident it is a comet, theories suggesting it could be an alien spacecraft are nonetheless circulating. With this, a common query has gained the most attention: Will 3I/ATLAS hit Earth? Here are predictions on interstellar object 3I/ATLAS from the most renowned science organization NASA to strange theorists like the late Bulgarian clairvoyant Baba Vanga.
As reported by USA Herald, some enthusiasts and historians believe that Nostradamus may have hinted at events like the arrival of 3I/ATLAS. One quatrain often cited reads: "From the cosmos, a fireball will rise, a harbinger of fate; the world pleads. Science and fate in a cosmic dance, the fate of the Earth, a second chance." Because Nostradamus' writings are vague and metaphorical, interpretations differ widely. Still, the verse has resurfaced online, fueling debates and social media theories linking ancient prophecy to the modern interstellar comet.
Baba Vanga, the late Bulgarian clairvoyant who died more than 25 years ago, continues to trend on social media due to her alleged predictions. Many of her 2025 prophecies circulating online are grim, often involving large-scale destruction and loss of life.
Among them is a claim that "aliens" would visit Earth in 2025, a prediction that has resurfaced after the discovery of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS. As per reports cited by NDTV, Vanga allegedly warned, "Humanity will make contact with extraterrestrial life, possibly leading to a global crisis or apocalypse." However, there is very little credible source material found on his prediction over 3I/ATLAS.
According to Harvard professor Avi Loeb, who started monitoring 3I/ATLAS shortly after it was discovered in July 2025, there is a more unusual way to interpret the data. He speculates that if the object were some sort of massive "mothership," it might be able to use the gravity of the Sun to launch smaller probes by taking advantage of the Oberth effect, a technique that enables spacecraft to accelerate significantly while slingshotting around a massive body like a star or planet.
Loeb also pointed to earlier simulations that showed that, in an ideal scenario, NASA's Juno spacecraft might have intercepted 3I/ATLAS near Jupiter. While purely hypothetical, he argues that this underscores how rare such interstellar encounters are and how humanity may be missing valuable opportunities to investigate them up close.
According to NASA, while the object designated 3I/ATLAS will travel into the inner solar system, it will not approach Earth closely and will not hit Earth. The closest the comet will come is approximately 1.8 astronomical units, about 170 million miles (270 million kilometers) away, meaning there is no risk of impact with our planet.
The comet's journey toward the Sun will also be a milestone event in other ways: some human-made spacecraft already in space may cross through its ion tail and gather new data about it. Between October 25 and November 6, missions such as the Hera mission (from the European Space Agency) and Europa Clipper (from NASA) might pass through the comet's trail.