Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS: Harvard Astrophysicist Suggests Possible Alien Technology Connection

Comet 3I/ATLAS Larger Than Expected, Could Be Alien Probe: Astrophysicist

Comet 3I/ATLAS represents only the third confirmed interstellar object to enter our solar system.

A substantial interstellar entity traveling through our solar system may actually be significantly larger than scientists initially believed, according to recent analysis. Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb and his research team have even suggested the possibility that it could incorporate alien technology.

NASA first detected the object, designated 3I/ATLAS, on July 1, 2025. Since then, scientists across the globe have been fascinated by its unusual trajectory and extraterrestrial origins. As a classified comet, 3I/ATLAS follows 'Oumuamua (2017) and 2I/Borisov (2019) as only the third confirmed interstellar visitor to our solar system, as reported by The New York Post.

Calculations from Loeb's research team now indicate that the object's mass could exceed 33 billion tons, vastly surpassing earlier estimates. By analyzing its trajectory, the team determined that the object's "non-gravitational acceleration" measured "smaller than 49 feet per day, squared," according to a recent blog publication. The scientists then correlated this data with the object's gas and dust emissions to estimate its dimensions.

Additional calculations suggest that 3I/ATLAS's solid-density nucleus might exceed 3.1 miles in diameter, representing a considerable increase over previous projections based on observations from the Hubble Space Telescope.

Loeb emphasized the extraordinary nature of this discovery, comparing it to finding a needle in an intergalactic haystack. "Given the limited reservoir of heavy elements, we should have discovered on the order of a hundred thousand interstellar objects on the 0.1-kilometer scale of 1I/'Oumuamua before finding 3I/ATLAS, yet we only detected two interstellar objects previously," he explained.

While 3I/ATLAS is rapidly approaching the inner solar system, it poses no threat to Earth. However, its trajectory will bring it remarkably close to Jupiter, Venus, and Mars, passing within 1.67 million miles of Mars' orbit over the weekend.

Loeb and his colleagues have proposed an intriguing theory that the object could be "a piece of alien technology intentionally sent to us".

"The hypothesis in question is that [3I/ATLAS] is a technological artifact, and furthermore has active intelligence. If this is the case, then two possibilities follow," Dr. Loeb, Adam Drowl, and Adam Hibberd wrote in a paper published on July 17.

Several unusual characteristics reportedly support this proposition. The object demonstrates non-gravitational acceleration, and its path takes it near Venus, Mars, and Jupiter, which could represent potential "key target planets."

Loeb further speculated that the tilt and trajectory might enable any intelligent entity aboard to collect "astrometric measurements, to determine the orbits and masses of the Solar System planets, allowing it to prepare an optimal approach strategy to the Solar System."