An interstellar object roughly the size of Manhattan is baffling scientists as it passes through the solar system emitting materials never before observed in nature. Harvard astrophysicist Dr. Avi Loeb told The New York Post that the object known as 3I/ATLAS appears to be releasing a metal compound only known from industrial manufacturing.
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A Metal Never Seen in Nature
Recent images from the Keck II telescope in Hawaii revealed the object emitting “a plume which contains four grams of nickel per second with no evidence of iron — unheard of in comets.” According to Loeb the result is a refined compound called nickel tetracarbonyl which “has only ever been previously witnessed in human manufacturing.” He said, “There is only one place where that is known to exist and that is in industrially produced nickel alloys. This was never observed for any other object.”
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While Keck Observatory researchers suggest the nickel-producing process could be natural Loeb disagrees. “This was a process that we can imagine only because it was used in industry,” he said calling the object’s behavior unprecedented.
A String of Anomalies
In addition to the New York Post article Loeb also discussed 3I/ATLAS with Glenn Beck explaining that the object may not behave like any known comet or asteroid. “It’s the size of Manhattan Island,” he said. “We expect many more small objects than big objects… but we found a giant one.” Its orbit also “aligns within five degrees of the ecliptic plane of the planets” a one-in-500 chance and its arrival coincides with close passes by Mars, Venus and Jupiter — an improbable timing that Loeb said could suggest “fine-tuning.”
Adding to the mystery the Hubble Space Telescope captured an image of a jet of material pointing toward the Sun instead of away from it the opposite of normal comet tails. Loeb asked, “Why are we seeing a jet pointed at the Sun? A stream of material in the direction of the Sun?”
Could It Be Artificial?
Loeb a longtime advocate of open inquiry into interstellar phenomena argues that science must remain open to the possibility of technological origins. “If it was designed by intelligence you wouldn’t be able to forecast exactly what it would do,” he told Beck. He compared it to “finding a visitor in your backyard” whose actions cannot be predicted by natural laws.
Awaiting New Data
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’s HiRISE camera captured images of 3I/ATLAS as it passed within 12 million miles of Mars but those images remain unreleased because of the ongoing U.S. government shutdown. “Who cares about the communication departments? We want to see the data from the scientists,” Loeb said.
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For Loeb 3I/ATLAS represents more than just another cosmic rock. With its size trajectory and industrial-grade metal emissions it raises a profound question: Are we detecting evidence of alien technology drifting through our solar system, something worse or simply a type of comet that humanity has never seen before?
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a background in journalism from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine.
