A Christmas answer? Harvard scientist says 3I/ATLAS may reveal its true nature by December

Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb is challenging NASA's assertion that the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS is merely a comet, arguing that crucial clues are only now emerging and its true nature may be revealed by December 2025. While NASA released images framing the object as a straightforward comet, Loeb contends that these observations, particularly from amateur astronomers, present significant anomalies that defy conventional explanations.

Loeb highlights puzzling structures, specifically perfectly straight, tightly collimated lines extending roughly a million kilometers from 3I/ATLAS. These lines, observed after the object's closest approach to the Sun, sit at right angles to the Sun–object axis, a behavior inconsistent with natural comet jets which typically point away from the Sun and exhibit wiggles from rotation. He emphasizes that these amateur images offer more compelling insights than the blurred, distant NASA imagery.

Rejecting the assumption that gas and dust jets automatically confirm a cometary nature, Loeb suggests alternative scenarios. He outlines the possibility of "mini-probes released by a technological mothership" or fragments of ice/rock breaking off. Loeb has urged NASA to investigate whether any small objects traveled with 3I/ATLAS or peeled away towards Mars or Earth, suggesting data from Mars rovers, orbiters, or Galileo Project observatories could provide critical evidence.

The coming weeks are decisive for understanding 3I/ATLAS. Loeb states that larger ground-based telescopes, along with the Hubble and Webb telescopes, will characterize the jets' composition, speed, and mass loading rate. These measurements, he asserts, will determine whether the jets originate from natural ice pockets or technological thrusters, with answers expected by December 19, 2025, as 3I/ATLAS makes its closest approach to Earth.