Alien Investigation or Just a Comet?
A recently identified interstellar object, comparable in size to Manhattan, is speeding through our solar system and is thought to be a comet. However, two scientists from Harvard have suggested that there’s a chance it could actually be of alien origin.
Nasa detected this object, named 31/Atlas, on July 1. It was observed hurtling through the internal solar system at a staggering speed of 140,000 mph, thanks to the Chilean Atlas telescope’s observations.
Astrophysicist Avi Loeb believes that the object might be an extraterrestrial craft that is surveilling Earth, potentially with hostile intentions. This marks it as the third interstellar object ever detected.
In a recent paper, Dr. Loeb, along with his colleagues Adam Drowl and Adam Hibberd, discussed the notion that 31/Atlas may be a technical artifact—either benign in nature or harmful. “That’s the hypothesis in question,” they said.
The scientists shared some peculiar characteristics of the object that lead them to question its classification as a simple comet. For instance, they noted its unexpected acceleration without signs of outgassing, which is commonly seen in comets.
According to Loeb, 31/Atlas is “surprisingly approaching Venus, Mars, and Jupiter.” It has a “low retrograde tilt,” allowing it to access these planets with what seems like relative ease.
This unusual tilt raises the question of whether humanity might attempt to intercept the object, a challenge that could be more complicated than it appears.
Additionally, Loeb speculated that this trajectory might enable the object to gather astronomical data, assess the orbits and masses of planets in our solar system, and strategize for future encounters.
Another intriguing detail is that 31/Atlas will reach its closest point to the sun on October 29, a moment when it will be obscured from Earth’s view.
Framed in part as an “educational experiment,” the researchers have mentioned the “dark forest” theory regarding alien life, a concept that originated from Cixin Liu’s novel and challenges the Fermi Paradox, which questions why we haven’t encountered extraterrestrial civilizations yet.
