The global scientific community is once again focused intensely on 3I/ATLAS, which stands as the third confirmed interstellar body to traverse our Solar System. Following the pioneering visits of Oumuamua in 2017 and Comet 2I/Borisov in 2019, 3I/ATLAS was first detected on July 1, 2025, by the sophisticated ATLAS telescope system. Since its discovery, this celestial visitor has ignited fierce controversy regarding its fundamental nature and origins, prompting some experts to question whether it is truly a natural phenomenon.
Professor Avi Loeb of Harvard University, who previously chaired the Department of Astronomy, remains a vocal proponent of the hypothesis that 3I/ATLAS may be technological rather than purely natural. This viewpoint is strongly supported by a series of unprecedented characteristics observed in the object. Specifically, the body has exhibited eight key anomalies. These include an internal glow and the emission of energy equivalent to that produced by ten atomic power plants. Furthermore, Professor Loeb points out that the object’s trajectory, which involved remarkably close approaches to both Mars and Jupiter, is statistically improbable for a purely natural, randomly moving object.
The behavior of 3I/ATLAS after reaching its closest point to the Sun—perihelion—on October 29, 2025, further complicated the picture. Contrary to expectations for a typical transient body, it did not simply recede into deep space after approaching within 1.36 a.u. of the Sun. Observations conducted by astronomers Qicheng Zhang and Carl Batthams documented a sudden and sharp increase in brightness, alongside a distinct shift in its radiation spectrum from the red end toward the blue. Loeb interprets this as a potential ninth anomaly, suggesting it could be evidence of an engine activating or an artificial light source engaging. Further compounding the mystery is the presence of an anti-tail directed toward the Sun, which defies standard cometary physics, and the detection of nickel emissions without the expected corresponding iron, potentially hinting at industrial alloys.
Loeb estimates the probability that 3I/ATLAS is not entirely natural to be between 30% and 40%, speculating that the object might function as a “cosmic courier” or perhaps even a “Trojan horse” preparing for subsequent maneuvers. Adding to its mystique, some estimates place the age of this interstellar guest at over seven billion years, making it significantly older than our own Solar System. Conversely, a segment of the scientific community, including Russian scientists such as Professor Sergei Yazev, maintains that the current data is too sparse and preliminary to justify such radical conclusions. Monitoring 3I/ATLAS, which will not come closer than 1.8 a.u. to Earth, continues to serve as a critical test of the scientific establishment's willingness to accept information that challenges long-held assumptions about the cosmic order.