Scientists Brace For Answers As Mysterious 3i/atlas Reaches The Sun

Something different is happening retired location successful space. The mysterious entity 3I/ATLAS – which we precocious reported connected astatine Euro Weekly News – has conscionable made its closest attack to nan Sun, and astronomers astir nan world are paying adjacent attention.

The reason? No 1 is wholly judge whether this visitant is conscionable different lump of abstraction stone – aliases a technological entity created by an intelligent civilisation beyond our star system.

A adjacent brushwood pinch nan Sun

On October 29, 2025, 3I/ATLAS reached its nearest constituent to nan Sun, astir 203 cardinal kilometres away. It’s a infinitesimal scientists person been waiting for since it entered our star system, arsenic nan entity now originates nan 2nd half of its agelong travel backmost into interstellar abstraction – if thing different happens first.

For spacecraft, this constituent – known arsenic nan perihelion – is often nan cleanable clip to accelerate aliases slow down, utilizing nan Sun’s gravity arsenic a slingshot. It’s besides nan perfect moment, experts say, for a hypothetical mothership to deploy mini probes aliases set its course. That’s 1 logic nan entity has captured truthful overmuch attention.

Unfortunately, this uncommon infinitesimal can’t beryllium straight observed from Earth, meaning scientists must trust connected information alternatively than ocular grounds to study much astir it. That deficiency of visibility has fuelled speculation that 3I/ATLAS mightiness beryllium much than a earthy phenomenon.

A Harvard professor raises nan alarm

Astrophysicist Avi Loeb, who leads Harvard’s Galileo Project, has go 1 of nan astir outspoken voices connected nan mystery. In a caller question and reply connected Fox News, Loeb compared nan business to nan Trojan Horse of Greek mythology – an entity that looks harmless connected nan extracurricular but whitethorn conceal thing unexpected within.

He and his colleagues, Omer Eldadi and Gershon Tenenbaum, person moreover published a white insubstantial urging governments and policymakers to dainty nan imaginable threat seriously. Their statement is simple: if an unusually monolithic entity for illustration 3I/ATLAS were successful truth a portion of technology, ignoring it could beryllium a mistake.

The timing hasn’t gone unnoticed either. The object’s perihelion – its closest attack to nan Sun – took spot conscionable 2 days earlier Halloween, which Loeb himself called “a fitting day to inquire whether it’s wearing a cosmic disguise.”

A travel crossed nan star system

3I/ATLAS will proceed its way done nan star strategy for respective much months. On November 3 2025, it will walk wrong 97 cardinal kilometres of Venus, earlier moving adjacent capable to beryllium seen by nan European Space Agency’s JUICE ngo arsenic it travels toward Jupiter.

Then, conscionable earlier Christmas, connected December 19, it will scope its closest constituent to Earth – astir 267 cardinal kilometres away, assuming it follows a earthy gravitational path. “Will it nonstop mini-probes to Earth arsenic Christmas presents for humanity?” Loeb joked successful a caller blog post, though his investigation squad plans to return nan mobility seriously.

The Galileo Project is already monitoring information from its web of observatories, searching for immoderate signs of different activity aliases unidentified aerial phenomena successful nan Earth’s ambiance complete nan coming months. By March 2026, 3I/ATLAS will attack Jupiter, wherever NASA’s Juno spacecraft could perchance seizure images aliases moreover observe power emissions that mightiness bespeak artificial origins.

Natural aliases not? The adjacent fewer months will tell

Scientists judge this shape is critical. If 3I/ATLAS is simply a earthy comet held together by anemic forces, its vulnerability to nan Sun’s heat—around 770 watts per quadrate metre – could origin it to break isolated into smaller fragments, creating a agleam plume of state and dust.

But if it’s technological, arsenic Loeb and others suggest, it mightiness alteration direction, emit heat, aliases moreover merchandise mini devices. Some of its different characteristics, specified arsenic a higher ratio of nickel to iron, person already drawn attraction arsenic imaginable hints of thing artificial.

In nan coming months, astronomers will study really it behaves nether star radiation to find whether it genuinely fits nan floor plan of a comet—or whether it defies expectations entirely.

Loeb, who besides appeared precocious connected The Joe Rogan Experience, said this benignant of curiosity is vital. “We request humility erstwhile exploring who other mightiness stock our cosmic neighbourhood,” he explained. “It’s amended to look intimately astatine what’s retired location than to trust connected Hollywood’s imagination.”

Whether 3I/ATLAS turns retired to beryllium an mean portion of abstraction debris aliases thing acold much advanced, 1 point is certain: its sojourn is forcing scientists—and nan remainder of us—to deliberation otherwise astir what mightiness beryllium travelling done nan immense acheronian of space.

What is 3I/ATLAS?

3I/ATLAS, officially designated C/2025 N1, is nan 3rd confirmed interstellar entity ever spotted passing done our Solar System. It was discovered connected July 1 2025 by NASA’s ATLAS study successful Hawaii – a strategy designed to scan nan entity each nighttime successful hunt of moving celestial bodies. Unlike mean comets that originate successful nan Oort Cloud, 3I/ATLAS is simply a existent visitant from beyond our Solar System, travelling astatine an bonzer velocity of astir 60 kilometres per second. Scientists person detected a faint tail and changing colours successful its coma, signs that it’s an progressive comet releasing state and particulate arsenic it approaches nan Sun.

NASA says there’s nary danger

Despite its interstellar origin, NASA has made it clear that 3I/ATLAS poses nary threat to Earth. The comet will travel nary person than astir 270 cardinal kilometres – astir doubly nan region betwixt Earth and nan Sun. In different words, there’s nary chance of an effect aliases moreover a visible show successful our nighttime skies. “You won’t spot it, but our spacecraft will,” NASA noted, highlighting that respective missions, including nan European Space Agency’s JUICE probe, will observe nan comet up close. For scientists, this is simply a uncommon and breathtaking opportunity to study a traveller from different prima system, not a origin for alarm.