Is it an interstellar wolf in sheep\u2019s clothing?<\/p>\n
Earlier this week, the NASA-backed International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) launched an emergency defense probe after 3I\/ATLAS\u00a0exhibited unusual behavior. Now, Harvard scientist Avi Loeb warns that the Manhattan-sized interstellar object zipping through our solar system could be an extraterrestrial \u201cTrojan horse\u201d whose presence has major implications for \u201chumanity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Loeb \u2014 who maintains that the object could be of alien origin ever since its July discovery \u2014 told \u201cElizabeth Vargas Reports\u201d<\/a>\u00a0that he was concerned with the size of 31\/ATLAS, which he inferred<\/a> could weigh 33 billion tons based on Webb Telescope data.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s at least a thousand times more massive than the previous interstellar objects we\u2019ve seen,\u201d the astrophysicist declared. \u201cAnd the question is, why is such a giant object delivered to our inner solar system, when we saw only small ones before?\u201d<\/p>\n Harvard scientist Avi Loeb warns that the Manhattan-sized interstellar object, 31\/ATLAS, could be an extraterrestrial \u201cTrojan horse\u201d whose presence has major implications for \u201chumanity.\u201d Thomas \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n Loeb analogized the presence of the comet (seen in a Hubble Telescope image) to a \u201cblind date,\u201d explaining, \u201cyou often assume that the dating partner would be very friendly, but you have to worry about serial killers, as well.\u201d NASA<\/p>\n Loeb speculated that the international community should remain vigilant and formulate a defense plan in the event that 31\/ATLAS is a \u201d black swan event,\u201d defined as a high-impact event<\/a> that is difficult to forecast under normal circumstances but appears to be inevitable in hindsight.<\/p>\n In the case of 31ATLAS, the scientist claimed that it could appear \u201cnatural at first\u201d but end up \u201cbeing like a Trojan Horse.\u201d<\/p>\n Loeb analogized the comet\u2019s presence to a \u201cblind date,\u201d explaining, \u201cYou often assume that the dating partner would be very friendly, but you have to worry about serial killers, as well.\u201d<\/p>\n NASA\u2019s James Webb Space Telescope observed interstellar comet 3I\/ATLAS on Aug. 6, with its Near-Infrared Spectrograph instrument. NASA\/James Webb Space Telescope<\/p>\n While NASA\u2019s official position is that 31\/ATLAS does not pose any threat, the IAWN has already begun<\/a> efforts to monitor the interstellar entity to assess whether this is indeed the case.<\/p>\n From November 27, 2025, through January 27, 2026, IAWN will be conducting a \u201ccomet campaign to refine methods for pinpointing ATLAS\u2019 exact location.<\/p>\n These efforts were launched after the object showcased a host of unusual behaviors that seemed to defy typical comet behavior and possibly pointed to its extraterrestrial origin, per Loeb. <\/p>\n One of the disconcerting attributes included an anti-tail \u2014 a jet of particles that points toward the sun instead of away from it as is standard. ATLAS was also observed spouting a plume of four grams of nickel\u00a0<\/a>per second with no evidence of iron, a phenomenon unheard of in comets.<\/p>\n The alloy, nickel tetracarbonyl, has only been previously witnessed in human manufacturing, Harvard astrophysicist Dr. Avi Loeb told The Post.<\/p>\n Loeb also expressed concern over ATLAS\u2019s non-gravitational acceleration and anomalous trajectory that will bring it suspiciously close to Jupiter, Venus and Mars. He pointed out \u2014 in a somewhat far-fetched paper published in July \u2014 that these factors could suggest that it was an alien probe that\u00a0was sent to conduct reconnaissance on Earth<\/a>, possibly with hostile intentions.<\/p>\n \u201cThe hypothesis in question is that [31\/ATLAS] is a technological artifact, and furthermore has active intelligence,\u201d the paper read. \u201cIf this is the case, then two possibilities follow. First, that its intentions are entirely benign and second, they are malign.\u201d<\/p>\n Currently, 3I\/ATLAS is just days away from making its closest approach to the Sun and slipping out of view, which could prove that the object is a spacecraft that\u2019s using the gravity of the solar star to change speed and trajectory, per Loeb.<\/p>\n