Amateur Telescope Image of 3I/ATLAS Sparks Frenzy as NASA Remains Silent During Shutdown
By Samuel Lopez - USA Herald
October 3, 2025

Caption
Amateur astronomer captures mysterious image of 3I/ATLAS during NASA’s silence amid shutdown. The photo fuels global speculation about what lies inside the interstellar visitor.

Key Takeaways

• Today’s Mars flyby of interstellar object 3I/ATLAS is shrouded in mystery as NASA remains quiet during a federal shutdown.
• A YouTuber known as Dobsonian Power“” captured an image suggesting unusual structural anomalies.
• With NASA furloughing thousands of workers, backyard astronomers are taking matters in their own hands and putting eyes on this unprecedented event.

USA HERALD – October 3, 2025, was supposed to mark one of the most historic days in modern astronomy. Interstellar object 3I/ATLAS—already the subject of fevered speculation—swept past Mars in a flyby that astronomers worldwide have been anticipating for months, and is now hidden from Earth’s view by the sun’s glare. Yet the moment arrived under a cloud of confusion and silence, thanks to a government shutdown that has left NASA essentially mute on developments.

Into this vacuum stepped an unlikely voice: a YouTuber named “Dobsonian Power.” Armed with nothing more than a solar telescope and the coordinates used by professional observatories, the amateur astronomer released an image yesterday that immediately set social media ablaze.

The photo, shared with the caption “What on Earth is it?”, appeared to reveal a dark, angular structure embedded within 3I/ATLAS. Within hours, speculation ran rampant: Was this evidence of alien technology? A trick of shadow and light? Or worse—an AI-generated fake designed to mislead the public?