Elon Musk said he was “never committing suicide” while discussing the mysterious interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS with podcaster Joe Rogan. The billionaire made the remark during an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, where he spoke about theories on extraterrestrial life and the comet's possible alien connections.
The comment came as a response to long-running online conspiracy theories suggesting that anyone who discovers alien secrets meets a mysterious end. “I mean, one thing I can say is, look, if I was aware of any evidence of aliens - Joe, you have my word - I will come on your show and I will reveal it on the show,” Musk said.
He then added, “I'm never committing suicide, to be clear. So, on camera, guys, I am never committing suicide ever.”
Comet 3I/ATLAS is the third recorded interstellar object to enter the solar system. Its unusual composition and trajectory have drawn attention from scientists and theorists. Some experts, including Harvard astrophysicist Dr Avi Loeb and Michio Kaku, have suggested that the comet's anomalous movement could hint at artificial origins or even alien technology, while others maintain that natural explanations are more plausible.
Musk offered his take on the comet's name and structure. “It's a hell of a name. It sounds like ‘Third Eye' or something,” he joked.
Rogan referenced Avi Loeb's observation that 3I/ATLAS is composed largely of nickel, a material more commonly found in industrial alloys.
Musk responded, “There are definitely comets and asteroids that are made primarily of nickel… it doesn't mean it's a spaceship.” He laughed and added, “Yeah, it'd be a very sort of heavy spaceship to make it all out of nickel.”
According to NASA, 3I/ATLAS is classified as an interstellar object due to its hyperbolic orbital path, confirming that it originated outside our solar system.
On Wednesday, a sudden surge in the brightness of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS was detected by multiple spacecraft as the comet reached its closest point to the Sun (perihelion). The phenomenon led to global scientific attention due to its unusual behaviour and striking blue hue.
According to observations from NASA's STEREO-A, SOHO, and GOES-19 instruments, 3I/ATLAS brightened sharply between September and October. Colour measurements revealed that the comet appeared bluer than the Sun, suggesting intense gas emissions during its perihelion phase contributed to the visual effect.
Avi Loeb described the comet's blue colour as “extremely surprising,” saying that dust typically reddens sunlight, making this observation highly unusual. He labelled the blue tint as the ninth anomalous characteristic of the comet, adding to other irregularities such as its near-ecliptic orbit, visible jet directed toward the Sun, and an unusually large nucleus.
