NASA Classifies 3I/ATLAS as Comet, Avi Loeb Proposes Alien Origin

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has classified the interstellar object known as 3I/ATLAS as a comet, based on spectral data that indicate typical icy and dusty characteristics. This classification, however, faces skepticism from Avi Loeb, a physicist at Harvard University, who argues that the object’s trajectory and behavior suggest it may be of artificial origin.

NASA’s assessment emphasizes features common to comets, including a visible coma, a tail emitting gas, and spectral data indicative of water activity. According to NASA, these characteristics strongly align with those of documented natural celestial bodies, leaving little room for alternative explanations. The agency reports that images and data collected from various observatories reinforce this view, showing that the object is encased in dust and gas consistent with cometary activity and primarily composed of carbon dioxide.

Despite NASA’s official classification, Loeb contends that 3I/ATLAS displays anomalies that challenge the notion of it being an ordinary comet. He has identified a total of 13 anomalies, the most recent being what he describes as an “extraordinary” feature. This includes the object’s remarkably precise trajectory and its unexpected non-gravitational acceleration, which deviates from typical comet behavior.

Loeb’s latest findings focus on the alignment of 3I/ATLAS with Jupiter’s Hill sphere—an area where Jupiter’s gravitational influence surpasses that of the Sun. He notes that the object will pass within approximately 53.445 million kilometers of Jupiter, a distance that matches the planet’s gravitational boundary with striking accuracy, within 0.06 million kilometers. Loeb argues that this level of alignment is statistically improbable if it were merely coincidental.

He further hypothesizes that if 3I/ATLAS utilized jets akin to thrusters for trajectory adjustments, it may have purposely targeted this close approach to Jupiter. In an audacious proposal, he suggests that the object could be designed to deploy smaller spacecraft into stable orbits around Jupiter’s Lagrange points—regions ideal for extended observation.

“In the event that 3I/ATLAS is technological in origin, it might have fine-tuned its trajectory using thrusters to reach Jupiter’s Hill radius,” Loeb stated in his blog post. He predicts that should the object release devices within the Hill sphere of Jupiter on March 16, 2026, these devices would need to activate their engines to counteract the high speed of 3I/ATLAS, which approaches 65.9 kilometers per second.

Loeb posits that if this interstellar object operates as a “mothership” designed to deliver technological devices, it must enter Jupiter’s Hill radius, a region where the planet’s gravity dominates. Here, Jupiter can retain slowly moving objects, preventing them from being pulled away by solar gravity. He identifies the L1 and L2 Lagrange points of Jupiter as the most suitable locations for deploying such devices, due to their natural stability, which requires minimal fuel for maintenance.

While Loeb does not assert definitively that 3I/ATLAS is alien technology, he advocates for an open-minded inquiry into the matter. He believes the extraordinary data should not be dismissed in favor of explanations that are more comfortable. “If we were to discover technological satellites around Jupiter that we did not send, it would imply that Jupiter is of interest to an extraterrestrial civilization,” he remarked. He added that a lack of similar findings near Earth might indicate that our interstellar visitor is not focused on us.

The ongoing debate surrounding 3I/ATLAS highlights a broader discussion about the potential for extraterrestrial life and the significance of new findings in space exploration. As NASA continues to analyze the data, the scientific community remains divided, showcasing a compelling intersection of astronomy and the possibility of alien technology.