We went live for the NASA broadcast of the release of images of the Interplanetary "comet" 3I-Atlas, which was delayed due to the government shutdown. As the cultural curiosity surrounding 3I-ATLAS went viral during the poorly timed government shutdown, it was a unique opportunity for NASA to do what it does best. Share data and spend a little more time with the actual experts to explore that curiosity and dig deeper into what we found.

Unfortunately, it feels as though the government shutdown and funding cuts proposed by the current President's cabinet was more of an influence on this 3I-ATLAS review than curiosity was. If you wanted to know how I feel about this you can rewatch it live.

Two major themes for me:
- Don't be an intellectual bully. There are curious people out there who are not trolling you (NASA). Talk to those people without demeaning their curiosity
- The definition of a "Comet" is vague and outdated. Just like Pluto needed to be reclassified as a dwarf planet, we need a better term for these icy objects.

Would love to know what you think! Let us know in the comments below or email us at todayinspacepodcast @ gmail.com

Timestamps:
00:00 Initial Thoughts before NASA's Image Reveal Event
04:31 Some Context and Observations of 3I Atlas
11:45 Q&A Session with Press and Scientific Insights
14:01 Alien Hypothesis and Scientific Evidence
36:07 Scientific Goals and Future Observations
36:20 Processing and Release of Images
39:06 Orbital Dynamics and Non-Gravitational Accelerations
39:24 Public Engagement and Citizen Science
40:00 Alex's Final Thoughts on the definition of a "comet" and power of science communication

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