(NewsNation) — The Harvard astrophysicist who has openly wondered whether presumed comet 3I/ATLAS is an alien vessel is sharing some of his latest observations, including what he calls “non-gravitational acceleration” of the interstellar object.
In other words, is 3I/ATLAS revving an engine as it continues through our solar system?
“There was some propulsion that moved it away from its original trajectory, and I would have expected it would lose 10 to 20% of its mass as a result of the recoil,” Avi Loeb told “Banfield” on Friday.
The prospect of an engine aboard 3I/ATLAS may also explain why the object registered a blue appearance when its orbit recently came closest to the sun, Loeb says. The color could also come from “a source of artificial light,” or the “signature of ionized carbon monoxide … for a natural comet,” the science professor speculates in a recent blog.
Avi Loeb documents ‘anomalies’ of 3I/ATLAS
These tantalizing features are among nearly a dozen anomalies Loeb has documented while analyzing images and data surrounding 3I/ATLAS over the past several weeks. Others include the object’s lack of a traditional comet’s tail, its unusual chemical signatures and its sheer size (comparable to the footprint of Manhattan).
Although some observers are skeptical about Loeb’s theories — NASA, for the record, says it’s a harmless comet that poses no threat — others have rejoiced at the way the story has gotten non-scientists interested in space.
3I/ATLAS is expected to reach its nearest point to Earth in late December — if 170 million miles can be considered „close“ — before leaving the solar system in January. Loeb continues to urge NASA to release high-resolution images taken Oct. 2 by the space agency’s HiRise camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
He suggests the valuable information has been delayed by the continuing federal government shutdown.
“When you have a visitor to your backyard, you better know its nature,” Loeb said Friday. “We can’t afford to just adopt the most likely interpretation, which is that it’s a natural object.”
The name 3I/ATLAS derives from the fact that it’s the third known interstellar object to enter our solar system; it was discovered by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System.
3I/ATLAS may be revving an engine, Harvard professor suggests 2025 IUSTITIA.BG – Investigations 2009-2025 2025-11-08 05:34:57 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law
