3I/ATLAS: Avi Loeb Says It’s Gaining Speed, Not Slowing Down

In a provocative new theory, Harvard scientist Avi Loeb has raised significant questions about the true nature of interstellar object 3I Atlas, suggesting that it may not be a natural comet but rather a spacecraft. This claim has sent ripples through the scientific community, as Loeb argues that the object is gaining speed, rather than slowing down, after passing near the sun—an anomaly for typical comet behavior.

Loeb’s theory hinges on the object’s unusual behavior, which has baffled astronomers. 3I Atlas, which was first detected in 2017, has displayed a dual nature, presenting different features in rapid succession. On November 8th, a team of astronomers including M. Jagger, G. Rayman, and E. Prosperi captured images showing a complex tail structure. Just one day later, Michael Buchner and Frank Nebling observed what they described as “nice tail structures,” including an “anti-tail” and “smoking tail.”

On November 9th, David Jwitt and Jane Louu took additional images using the Nordic Optical Telescope, which showed the interstellar object resembling a ball of light with an anti-tail pointing directly towards the sun. According to Loeb, this anti-tail is a crucial indicator that the object is undergoing acceleration, a phenomenon commonly associated with spacecraft using gravitational assists. In an intriguing twist, Loeb hypothesizes that 3I Atlas could have exploded into fragments near the sun, explaining its sudden brightness, yet images show that it remains intact, further deepening the mystery.

Loeb’s latest analysis points to yet another anomaly: despite its complex behavior, including large-scale jets, the object remains a single, intact body—unlike typical comets, which tend to break up into smaller fragments as they approach the sun. One image taken earlier in the year showed jets extending nearly 1 million kilometers towards the sun, which Loeb argues suggests that the object is not following the expected path of a natural comet.

Adding weight to his theory, Loeb references the “anti-tail,” a feature that, he believes, suggests the object is intentionally accelerating using gravitational assist from the sun—something that is usually only seen in spacecraft that employ technology to adjust their trajectory. In Loeb’s view, the phenomenon suggests that 3I Atlas might be employing “technological thrusters,” similar to spacecraft, which point their exhaust towards the sun to gain speed rather than lose it.

Despite Loeb’s challenging theory, the majority of scientists continue to regard 3I Atlas as a comet. However, Loeb has dared the scientific community to explain the numerous anomalies surrounding the object, challenging them to account for the object’s strange behavior if it is indeed a natural comet.

The debate surrounding 3I Atlas has only intensified with each new observation, with experts divided over whether the object is a rare natural occurrence or something far more extraordinary. As Loeb continues to present evidence, the mystery of this interstellar wanderer deepens, raising questions about the true nature of objects that travel through our solar system from beyond the stars.