A scientist has made an astonishing claim about a mysterious object speeding towards Earth.
The object, referred to as 3I/ATLAS, is approximately the size of Manhattan and possesses several unusual characteristics, leading some to speculate that it could be an alien spacecraft.
There have been several odd observations about the object that suggest it might not be naturally occurring.
These include its survival of a close encounter with the sun, a peculiar ‘anti-tail’, and strange jets that have been observed.
Adding to the intrigue about the object’s true nature, yet another bizarre phenomenon has been detected as it travels through the solar system.
A radio signal has been detected emanating from 3I/ATLAS, which some interpret as a sign of artificial origin.
Harvard physicist Avi Loeb has been studying 3I/ATLAS for some time and has evaluated its features to ascertain its nature.
Among the hypotheses is that the object is a comet, which Loeb has examined closely.
In a forthcoming paper, Loeb stated: “There were claims of a tail. But since 3I/ATLAS is accelerating and its current size is not much larger than the angular resolution of Earth-based telescopes, it is not easy to avoid fictitious elongation of the image as a result of the object’s motion.”
Loeb has created a ‘scale’ to assess the likelihood that an object is naturally occurring, with 0 indicating a natural origin.
This scale extends to 10, indicating a definite technological origin.
He elaborated: “I suggested a `Loeb Scale’ for interstellar objects where `0’ is definitely a natural object (comet or asteroid) and `10’ is definitely a technological object (identified by manoeuvres or emission of artificial light or signals).”
But how does 3I/ATLAS rate on this scale?
“Currently, I give 3I/ATLAS a 6 on that scale, but my assessment will change as we get better data on it when it comes closer to the Sun,” Loeb remarked.
Nevertheless, others have proposed an alternative explanation for the radio waves emitted by the object.
According to Livescience, these radio waves indicate that 3I/ATLAS is indeed a natural object.
This involves the presence of hydroxyl radicals in the coma, a component of a comet.
Livescience stated: “These radicals are formed by the breakdown of water molecules as they are ejected from the comet via a natural process known as outgassing, which is a clear sign of cometary activity, according to a 2016 study.”