Harvard physicist says massive interstellar object could be alien probe on 'reconnaissance mission'

Astronomers precocious discovered a uncommon interstellar entity passing done our star system, and a Harvard physicist is sounding the alarm that its unusual characteristics mightiness bespeak it’s much than conscionable a emblematic comet.

"Maybe the trajectory was designed," Dr. Avi Loeb, subject professor at Harvard University, told Fox News Digital. "If it had an nonsubjective to benignant of to beryllium connected a reconnaissance mission, to either nonstop mini probes to those planets oregon show them… It seems rather anomalous."

The entity — dubbed 3I/ATLAS — was archetypal detected successful aboriginal July by an Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System, oregon ATLAS, scope located successful Chile. The find marked lone the 3rd clip an interstellar entity has been observed entering our star system, according to NASA.

Although NASA has classified the entity arsenic a comet, Loeb noted that an representation of the cosmic visitant indicated an unexpected glow appearing successful beforehand of the object, alternatively than trailing down it — thing helium described arsenic "quite surprising."

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The entity — dubbed 3I/ATLAS — was archetypal detected successful aboriginal July by an Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System, oregon ATLAS, scope located successful Chile. (ATLAS/University of Hawaii/NASA)

"Usually with comets you person a tail, a cometary tail, wherever particulate and state are shining, reflecting sunlight, and that's the signature of a comet," Loeb told Fox News Digital. "Here, you spot a glow successful beforehand of it, not down it."

Measuring astir 20 kilometers across, making it larger than Manhattan, 3I/ATLAS is besides unusually agleam for its distance. However, according to Loeb, its astir antithetic diagnostic is its trajectory.

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"If you ideate objects entering the star strategy from random directions, conscionable 1 successful 500 of them would beryllium aligned truthful good with the orbits of the planets," helium said.

Although NASA has classified the entity arsenic a comet, Loeb noted that an representation of the cosmic visitant indicated an unexpected glow appearing successful beforehand of the object, alternatively than trailing down it — thing helium described arsenic "quite surprising." (NASA, ESA, David Jewitt (UCLA); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI))

The interstellar object, which comes from the halfway of the Milky Way galaxy, is besides expected to walk adjacent to Mars, Venus and Jupiter — thing that is besides highly improbable to hap astatine random, according to Loeb.

"It besides comes adjacent to each of them, with a probability of 1 successful 20,000," helium said. 

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The 3I/ATLAS entity volition scope its closest constituent to our prima — astir 130 cardinal miles distant — connected October 30, according to NASA.

"If it turns retired to beryllium technological, it would evidently person a large interaction connected the aboriginal of humanity," Loeb said. "We person to determine however to respond to that."

Dr. Avi Loeb, subject professor at Harvard University, thinks the monolithic interstellar entity could beryllium alien probe. (Avi Loeb)

In January, 7 years aft SpaceX CEO Elon Musk launched a Tesla Roadster into orbit, astronomers from the Minor Planet Center astatine the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics successful Massachusetts confused it with an asteroid.

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A spokesperson for NASA did not instantly respond to Fox News Digital's petition for comment.