Researchers at Harvard and NASA have been closely monitoring 3I/ATLAS in an effort to refine its orbital trajectory, after early projections suggested a potentially close approach to Mars that briefly raised concerns about a possible impact. Even a relatively small collision with the Red Planet could release enormous energy, carving new craters and triggering atmospheric shockwaves across the Martian surface.

Follow-up models painted a dramatic picture, estimating that if 3I/ATLAS were on a direct collision course, the impact energy could rival that of hundreds of nuclear detonations, especially given its estimated size of several hundred meters—larger than most objects routinely tracked near Earth. While the latest simulations indicate the object will most likely pass Mars safely, astronomers note that it will do so at a cosmically close distance, close enough to justify continued observation and caution.