3I\/ATLAS, detected earlier this year, is only the third confirmed interstellar object to pass through our solar system. Unlike typical comets and asteroids, it arrived from deep space and will eventually leave again.<\/p>\n
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Its strange glow and rapid rotation rate have fueled theories that it might not be natural. Some claim the object emits its own light rather than simply reflecting the Sun, suggesting it could contain a power source or propulsion system.<\/p>\n
While NASA insists it\u2019s a comet<\/a>, Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb estimates there\u2019s a 40% chance the object doesn\u2019t have a natural origin and is some form of alien technology. He and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna have also raised concerns that it could deploy probes capable of reaching Earth.<\/p>\n Article continues after ad<\/p>\n Article continues after ad<\/p>\n Earth urged to prepare for possible alien threats following 3I\/ATLAS hysteria<\/p>\n Speaking with Dexerto, Loeb warned that Earth has no plan for a real alien encounter at the moment.<\/p>\n \u201cAs far as I know, there are no protocols for responding to the discovery of functioning alien devices near Earth. A visitor in our backyard requires immediate attention because it could enter through the front door and pose an imminent threat,\u201d Loeb said.<\/p>\n \u201cIn 2005, the U.S. Congress tasked NASA to identify 90% of all space rocks that may collide with Earth and have a size bigger than a football field (140 meters). However, alien technology is much more unpredictable than rocks and we do not have a contingency plan on how to search and respond to such a threat.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues after ad<\/p>\n Notably, NASA has suggested firing nukes at a \u201ccity-killer\u201d asteroid<\/a> that has a chance to hit the moon in 2032.<\/p>\n Loeb has submitted a white paper<\/a> to United Nations urging the creation of an international committee focused on potential threats from interstellar objects. He believes governments must coordinate early rather than react too late.<\/p>\n Article continues after ad<\/p>\n Loeb also argued for a full-sky monitoring system<\/a>. He said building advanced observatories in both hemispheres could give humanity a fighting chance to detect and understand any incoming alien technology.<\/p>\n Article continues after ad<\/p>\n \u201cAfter the first verified encounter with alien technology, the funding level will have to increase by a factor of a thousand, comparable to the global military budget worldwide, because of the severe implications to the world economy.\u201d<\/p>\n Even if no threat emerges, he argued, the scientific benefits would be enormous.<\/p>\n Alien panic grows<\/p>\n Despite NASA\u2019s reassurances, Loeb says the lack of preparation is a bigger issue than any possible cover-up.<\/p>\n \u201cI believe the recent delay in data dissemination from NASA due to the government shutdown does not flag extraterrestrial intelligence but rather terrestrial stupidity,\u201d he told Dexerto.<\/p>\n Article continues after ad<\/p>\n The warning comes as other alleged alien discoveries make headlines. NASA recently announced its strongest evidence yet that ancient alien life may have existed on Mars<\/a>.<\/p>\n Article continues after ad<\/p>\n![\"3I\/ATLAS](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/3I-ATLAS-photo-nasa-1024x576.jpg\"\/)
NASA3I\/ATLAS has baffled scientists and sparked numerous alien theories.<\/p>\n![\"3i\/atlas](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/3i-atlas-mars-photo-1024x576.jpg\"\/)
NSF\u2019s NoirLab<\/p>\n