3I/ATLAS Alien Spaceship Theory has sparked heated debates as a Harvard scientist suggests the comet could be an alien spacecraft in disguise, though most astronomers believe it’s just a natural object.
© IBTimes
3I/ATLAS Alien Spaceship Theory: Could This Comet Be Alien Technology?
The 3I/ATLAS Alien Spaceship Theory has taken the internet by storm after a Harvard astrophysicist suggested that a newly found comet might actually be an alien probe. Professor Avi Loeb, famous for his bold ideas about extraterrestrial life, believes this object might not be what it seems. However, most scientists remain firm that 3I/ATLAS is simply an interstellar comet, not alien technology.
What is 3I/ATLAS?
The 3I/ATLAS Alien Spaceship Theory centers around a comet officially named 3I/ATLAS, discovered on 1 July 2025. This comet is special because it’s only the third known interstellar object to visit our solar system. The first was ʻOumuamua in 2017, followed by 2I/Borisov in 2019.
3I/ATLAS is moving through space at an incredible 210,000 km/h (130,000 mph). NASA has observed a 24-kilometer-wide cloud of gas and dust, known as a coma, surrounding the comet, which is a typical feature of natural comets.
Both NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) have classified 3I/ATLAS as a comet because of its physical properties. The comet is following a hyperbolic trajectory, meaning it came from outside our solar system and will eventually leave, confirming it’s an interstellar visitor.
Why Does Loeb Think 3I/ATLAS Could Be Alien Technology?
The 3I/ATLAS Alien Spaceship Theory comes from Professor Avi Loeb, who has previously suggested that ʻOumuamua might also have been alien in origin. In a recent paper titled Is the Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS Alien Technology?, Loeb, along with his collaborators Adam Hibberd and Adam Crowl, discussed unusual details about 3I/ATLAS.
They highlighted:
-
A near-perfect alignment with Earth’s orbital plane, something Loeb claims has a less than 0.005% chance of occurring randomly.
Based on these factors, Loeb proposes that 3I/ATLAS could be a surveillance probe sent by an alien civilization. He suggests it might be programmed to pass by planets and possibly deploy scientific instruments. However, Loeb has also stated that this is a hypothesis, not a confirmed fact, and is intended to encourage scientific discussion.
What Do Other Scientists Say About the 3I/ATLAS Alien Spaceship Theory?
The 3I/ATLAS Alien Spaceship Theory has been met with strong criticism from the scientific community. Most astronomers believe Loeb’s idea lacks solid evidence.
Darryl Seligman from Michigan State University, who was among the first to study 3I/ATLAS, said,
“All evidence points to this being an ordinary comet ejected from another solar system.”
Samantha Lawler from the University of Regina was even more critical, calling Loeb’s theory “nonsense on stilts”, saying it distracts from serious scientific work.
Both NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the European Space Agency (ESA) have reported that 3I/ATLAS shows no signs of artificial propulsion or unusual movements. Its brightness, dust cloud, and trajectory all match what is expected from a natural comet. Furthermore, NASA has assured that 3I/ATLAS will not pose any threat to Earth, as it will pass by at a safe distance of 130 million miles.
Could 3I/ATLAS Pose a Hidden Threat?
Despite the dismissals from other scientists, Loeb has raised questions about what 3I/ATLAS might do when it moves behind the Sun in late October. He speculates that if it were an alien probe, it could use the Sun’s glare to hide its activities or even gather solar energy. Loeb notes that if any changes in its path were to happen, this would be the time.
However, due to the comet’s high speed, current spacecraft would not be able to intercept or investigate it. No radio signals, artificial propulsion, or unexpected maneuvers have been detected to support the alien theory.
Avi Loeb’s History of Alien Technology Theories
In 2017, he suggested that ʻOumuamua could be alien technology because of its cigar-like shape and unexplained acceleration. This claim led him to launch the Galileo Project, which focuses on searching for alien-made objects in space.
While Loeb’s ideas capture public attention, many astronomers argue that they risk undermining real scientific research.
What Happens Next for 3I/ATLAS?
For now, observatories around the world, including the European Southern Observatory in Chile, are keeping a close watch on 3I/ATLAS as it nears its closest approach to the Sun in October.
Until there’s direct evidence of alien involvement, the scientific consensus is that 3I/ATLAS is acting exactly like a natural comet should. While the 3I/ATLAS Alien Spaceship Theory is intriguing, most experts agree that it remains speculative and unsupported by observational data.
Related:
3I/ATLAS Interstellar Comet Discovery: 7 Incredible Revelations
