True identity of interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS will be revealed TOMORROW - as NASA finally shares long-awaited images of the mysterious object

NASA is poised to reveal the true identity of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS tomorrow – after more than a month of silence. 

The space agency has announced it will hold a press conference at 15:00 EST (20:00 GMT) to share never–before–seen images of the mysterious visitor.

These observations were gathered by NASA's various spacecraft and telescopes – including the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter during its close pass of the Red Planet.

Despite the intense interest in 3I/ATLAS's origins, the images have been kept from the public until now due to the government shutdown.

Experts are confident these images will finally put an end to the speculation that 3I/ATLAS might be some sort of 'artificial' object.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Dr Matthew Genge, an expert on comets and meteors from Imperial College London, said: 'All the evidence so far is consistent with a comet from another planetary system.

'If it looks like a duck, waddles like a duck, and quacks: it is most likely a duck. 

'Or in this case, a comet.'

During the shutdown between October 1 and November 12, the majority of NASA's staff were placed on furlough, and the agency was prevented from communicating with the public.

In a case of terrible timing, this came just as 3I/ATLAS entered the best position for astronomers to observe it.

On October 3, the comet reached its closest distance to Mars as it passed just 19 million miles (30 million kilometres) from the Red Planet and the fleet of satellites waiting there.

Then, on October 29, the interstellar object reached its closest point to the sun at a distance of 130 million miles (210 million kilometres).

At this point, the heat from the sun would have started to turn the comet's icy surface to gas, producing a burst of activity and brightness.

The European Space Agency (ESA) has already released its own images of 3I/ATLAS snapped by the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and Mars Express orbiter.

These observations helped to refine predictions of the object's trajectory 'tenfold', which could help astronomers study it in the future.

However, these orbiters are only designed for observing the planet's surface, and 3I/ATLAS only showed up as a faint glowing dot.

Even still, these images clearly showed the glowing 'coma' or ionised gas, which is the telltale sign of an icy comet being warmed by the sun.

With the government shutdown now at an end, NASA is poised to share all the data gathered during the Martian flyby.

These images will be shared and discussed during a live broadcast streamed on NASA's website, Amazon Prime and YouTube starting at 15:00 EST (20:00 GMT).

Members of the public are being encouraged to submit their own questions on social media using '#AskNASA', and some will be answered live on air.

Dr Genge says: 'They will be higher resolution images showing 3I/ATLAS in more detail than ever before.

'However, don't expect a miracle. Comets are shrouded in a gaseous atmosphere, so it is like trying to pick out a shape in the fog.'

3I/ATLAS is only the third object from another solar system that scientists have ever detected, meaning that there are many questions to be answered.

The object also has several interesting features, such as a highly irradiated surface and a so–called 'anti–tail' which points towards the sun.

In the absence of updates from NASA, these have led some to speculate that 3I/ATLAS could be an alien mothership.

However, there is nothing in the object's behaviour that is not consistent with what we know about comets in our own solar system.

Dr Genge adds: 'There is very little speculation amongst scientists, with one very obvious exception. There is no evidence to suggest 3I/ATLAS is artificial.'

Scientists are hopeful that NASA's new data will finally convince the public of this, as well as provide an opportunity for some genuine scientific discovery.

Although scientists can't physically touch 3I/ATLAS or study parts of it in the lab, these new observations could help understand its origins.

Professor March Burchell, an astronomer from the University of Kent, told Daily Mail: 'Details of its shape by direct observation would be good.'

Seeing the solid icy core of a comet known as a 'nucleus' is difficult when the object is far away, but the Mars orbiters might have been close enough to pick this detail up.

Likewise, Professor Burchell says these observations could provide more data on the gas outbursts which have 'caused confusion among alien artefact hunters'.

'These are natural phenomena, the ice starts to sublimate in jets and accelerates the body a little,' Professor Burchell explains.

'So seeing any evidence of these natural phenomena or any coma forming around the nucleus will be interesting.'

Since being confirmed as an interstellar object in early June, scientists have been using the world's best telescopes to gather data on the comet 3I/ATLAS.

The comet has now just returned into Earth's view after making a slingshot around the sun.

Dozens of observatories will be keeping a close eye on the comet as it approaches its closest pass of Earth next month at a distance of 170 million miles (273 million kilometres).

Early next year, the comet will also pass close enough to Jupiter for spacecraft near the planet to make final observations before it leaves our solar system.