Harvard physicist Dr. Avi Loeb suggests that the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS may be more than a comet, potentially serving as an alien probe on a reconnaissance mission.
A massive interstellar object, known as 3I/ATLAS, has recently captured the attention of astronomers and scientists alike due to its unusual characteristics. Harvard physicist Dr. Avi Loeb has raised the possibility that this object could be more than just a typical comet, suggesting it may be on a reconnaissance mission.
Dr. Loeb, a science professor at Harvard University, expressed his concerns in an interview with Fox News Digital. “Maybe the trajectory was designed,” he said. “If it had an objective to sort of be on a reconnaissance mission, to either send mini probes to those planets or monitor them… It seems quite anomalous.”
The object was first detected in early July by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) telescope in Chile. This discovery marks only the third time an interstellar object has been observed entering our solar system, according to NASA.
While NASA has classified 3I/ATLAS as a comet, Dr. Loeb pointed out an intriguing detail: an image of the object shows an unexpected glow appearing in front of it, rather than trailing behind, which is typical for comets. “Usually with comets, you have a tail, a cometary tail, where dust and gas are shining, reflecting sunlight, and that’s the signature of a comet,” he explained. “Here, you see a glow in front of it, not behind it.”
Measuring approximately 20 kilometers across, 3I/ATLAS is larger than Manhattan and is notably bright for its distance from the sun. However, Dr. Loeb emphasized that the most striking feature of this interstellar visitor is its trajectory.
“If you imagine objects entering the solar system from random directions, just one in 500 of them would be aligned so well with the orbits of the planets,” he stated. The object, which originates from the center of the Milky Way galaxy, is predicted to pass near Mars, Venus, and Jupiter—an event that, according to Loeb, is highly improbable to occur by chance. “It also comes close to each of them, with a probability of one in 20,000,” he added.
NASA has indicated that 3I/ATLAS will reach its closest point to the sun—approximately 130 million miles away—on October 30. Dr. Loeb remarked on the potential implications of the object’s nature, stating, “If it turns out to be technological, it would obviously have a big impact on the future of humanity. We have to decide how to respond to that.”
In a related note, astronomers from the Minor Planet Center at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics previously confused a Tesla Roadster launched into orbit by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk with an asteroid, highlighting the complexities of identifying celestial objects.
A spokesperson for NASA did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital.
According to Fox News Digital, the ongoing investigation into 3I/ATLAS may provide insights into the nature of interstellar objects and their potential significance in our understanding of the universe.