Scientists investigate unexplained object heading for Earth: possible artificial origin
20 July 2025 04:12
Astronomers have spotted the third interstellar object in the history of observations, 3I/ATLAS, heading toward our solar system. Its unusual behavior and properties have already raised many questions, and some even suggest that it may be older than our Sun. It is also possible that Atlas may be an artificial object launched by an extraterrestrial civilization.
This was written by the famous Harvard astrophysicist Avi Leb in his article on the Medium platform, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
Leb is known for his bold views and hypotheses about extraterrestrial life, which often go against the officially accepted versions in the scientific world. He encourages his colleagues to be more open to unexpected findings and theories and not to reject versions that contradict conventional wisdom.
The mystery of size and origin
When 3I/ATLAS was first spotted on July 1, 2025, at a distance of 4.5 times the distance between the Earth and the Sun, it appeared to be abnormally bright. This suggested an object with a diameter of about 20 kilometers, which is an unusually large size for an interstellar asteroid.
For comparison, the previous interstellar object, Oumuamua, was 200 times smaller. According to statistics, we would have to detect a million such small objects before we came across the giant 3I/ATLAS.
Initially, scientists assumed that it was a comet whose brightness was due to a cloud of gas and dust around a small nucleus. However, further observations conducted a week after the discovery showed something different.
