Interstellar Comet 3I ATLAS Sparks Alien Speculation Again: New Images Show It Survived The Sun Against All Odds | World News
Latest Update of Comet 3I ATLAS: When interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS was first spotted in July 2025, astronomers were expecting another visitor from deep space that would briefly glow, scatter dust, and eventually disintegrate as it approached the Sun. But this comet defied all expectations. With its eerie blue-green glow and tail stretching over a million kilometers, 3I/ATLAS has become one of the most mysterious celestial objects to enter our solar system.
Its final surprise came after a dangerous turn behind the Sun in November; This was an event that was supposed to destroy him. Instead, the comet returned looking pretty solid. And it reignited a scientific debate that is now taking over the internet.
Harvard Scientist Doubles Down: ‘This May Be Artificial’
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Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb, known for his controversial but persistent research into possible extraterrestrial technology, has stirred up trouble once again. 3I/ATLAS did not break up or weaken during its close pass with the Sun, according to new images taken Nov. 11 by the Scandinavian Optical Telescope in Spain’s Canary Islands.
In Loeb’s words, the comet remains “a single, active object with no signs of disintegration.” This observation caused immediate concern for him. From where? Because he believes that the mass loss jets observed around the comet are too strong for a natural object of the estimated size.
Loeb argues that for such large jets to form, the comet would need an absorbing surface larger than Manhattan Island; Loeb insists that this measurement is impossible based on all previous data.
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Energy Puzzle: “Numbers Don’t Add Up”
In a detailed analysis shared on Medium, Loeb calculated that the Sun was transmitting 700 Joules per square meter per second to the comet at perihelion. He says an absorption area of 1,600 square kilometers would be required to create the observed jets; this is much larger than any natural comet nucleus of this scale.
According to Loeb, these numbers cannot be reconciled unless a radical possibility is considered: 3I/ATLAS does not behave like a natural comet because it is not.
It even points to unusual structural features, including a rare formation, an anti-tail, which in this case points toward the Sun rather than away from it.
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Are Jets “Technological Thrusters”? Loeb Thinks It’s Possible
In one of his most provocative comments, Loeb suggests that the comet’s strange jets may not be geysers of natural gas and ice. Instead, they may be “technological thrusters,” a deliberate propulsion system designed to push the object away from the Sun after its close pass.
He speculates that an advanced spacecraft could perform such a maneuver to gain speed rather than slow down during gravity assist.
This also explains how the object remained intact during the fiery solar encounter, according to Loeb.
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Other Astronomers Unconvinced: “This is All Normal”
Not everyone accepts the extraterrestrial theory. Michigan State University astronomy professor Darryl Seligman rejected the alien hardware hypothesis, saying the comet’s survival was fully consistent with its estimated nucleus size of about 1 km in diameter, which is considered large for a comet.
He argues that Loeb’s assumptions about mass loss rates and jet sizes may have been exaggerated and that 3I/ATLAS behaves like any other solid comet.
Groundbreaking Radio Signal: Evidence of a Natural Comet?
Adding further support to the natural comet theory, South Africa’s MeerKAT radio telescope detected radio absorption lines from hydroxyl radicals on October 24. These molecules appear when sunlight breaks down water; This is a classic sign that the comet is shedding material as it heats up.
MeerKAT detected nothing in September, but this new signal strongly suggests that 3I/ATLAS is exactly what it seems: a water-rich comet losing mass near the Sun.
A Mystery Far from Solving
3I/ATLAS remains a cosmic enigma, with one side calling it a natural, icy wanderer and another side suggesting it could be a technological object from another star system. But what is undeniably true is that the interstellar visitor is forcing scientists to rethink what they have assumed about objects beyond our solar system.
Whether it’s a durable comet or something much more complex, 3I/ATLAS has already established itself as one of the most impressive discoveries of the decade.
