The interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS has grabbed the attention of astronomers across the world as it has become one of the most mysterious objects to be detected in space. Earlier this week, the NASA-backed International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) launched an emergency defense probe after 3I/ATLAS exhibited unusual behavior.
Now, Harvard scientist Avi Loeb has warned that the Manhattan-sized interstellar object zipping through our solar system could be an extraterrestrial “Trojan horse” whose presence has major implications for “humanity.” New findings showed that comet's unusual anti-solar tail has changed direction, facing away from the Sun.
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Scientists are describing 3I/ATLAS as a potential “Black Swan” event — an extremely rare occurrence that could transform our understanding of the universe if it turns out to be truly extraordinary. Avi Loeb has urged that comet 3I/ATLAS deserves urgent attention. He told “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” that he was concerned with the size of 31/ATLAS, which he inferred could weigh 33 billion tons based on Webb Telescope data.
“It’s at least a thousand times more massive than the previous interstellar objects we’ve seen,” the astrophysicist declared. “And the question is, why is such a giant object delivered to our inner solar system, when we saw only small ones before?”
Loeb suggested that the international community must stay alert and develop a defense strategy in case 31/ATLAS turns out to be a “black swan event” — a rare, high-impact occurrence that is nearly impossible to predict beforehand but seems inevitable in retrospect.
In the case of 31ATLAS, the scientist claimed that it could appear “natural at first” but end up “being like a Trojan Horse.” Loeb analogized the comet’s presence to a “blind date,” explaining, “You often assume that the dating partner would be very friendly, but you have to worry about serial killers, as well.” The mysterious space object with a tail sparked speculation about its possible origin, with the scientist suggesting in his recent paper that this tail could be indicative of a "controlled manoeuvring" alien craft and a high-impact Black Swan event.
3I/ATLAS, believed to have originated from outside our solar system, was first detected in July 2025 by the ATLAS survey telescope. The Nordic Optical Telescope in Spain's Canary Islands captured its new images in September.
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Is 3I/ATLAS dangerous to Earth?
While NASA’s official position is that 31/ATLAS does not pose any threat, the IAWN has already begun efforts to monitor the interstellar entity to assess whether this is indeed the case. From November 27, 2025, through January 27, 2026, IAWN will be conducting a “comet campaign to refine methods for pinpointing ATLAS’ exact location.
Loeb has raised alarms about 3I/ATLAS’s unusual behavior, noting its non-gravitational acceleration and a trajectory that will take it unusually close to Jupiter, Venus, and Mars. In a provocative paper published in July, he suggested these anomalies could indicate that the object is not natural—but an alien probe sent to observe Earth, potentially with hostile intent.
“The hypothesis proposed is that [31/ATLAS] is a technological artifact with active intelligence,” the paper states. “If so, two possibilities arise: its intentions are either entirely benign or overtly malign.” 3I/ATLAS is now just days away from its closest approach to the Sun, a maneuver that could reveal whether it’s a spacecraft using the star’s gravity to adjust its speed and trajectory.
“If 3I/ATLAS is a massive mothership, it is likely to follow its gravitational path and eventually leave the Solar System,” Loeb wrote in a recent blog post.
Now, Harvard scientist Avi Loeb has warned that the Manhattan-sized interstellar object zipping through our solar system could be an extraterrestrial “Trojan horse” whose presence has major implications for “humanity.” New findings showed that comet's unusual anti-solar tail has changed direction, facing away from the Sun.
3I/ATLAS a rare' Black Swan' object
The Minor Planet Centre has announced a major global campaign, running from November 27, 2025, to January 27, 2026, to study about the comet 3I/ATLAS that has entered our solar system. Coordinated by the International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN), the initiative represents the first-ever organized international effort to observe an interstellar visitor.ALSO READ: Who is Aaron Rodgers’ wife? Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback is oddly silent on wife 'Brittani' despite gushing about ‘special’ relationships
Scientists are describing 3I/ATLAS as a potential “Black Swan” event — an extremely rare occurrence that could transform our understanding of the universe if it turns out to be truly extraordinary. Avi Loeb has urged that comet 3I/ATLAS deserves urgent attention. He told “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” that he was concerned with the size of 31/ATLAS, which he inferred could weigh 33 billion tons based on Webb Telescope data.
“It’s at least a thousand times more massive than the previous interstellar objects we’ve seen,” the astrophysicist declared. “And the question is, why is such a giant object delivered to our inner solar system, when we saw only small ones before?”
Loeb suggested that the international community must stay alert and develop a defense strategy in case 31/ATLAS turns out to be a “black swan event” — a rare, high-impact occurrence that is nearly impossible to predict beforehand but seems inevitable in retrospect.
In the case of 31ATLAS, the scientist claimed that it could appear “natural at first” but end up “being like a Trojan Horse.” Loeb analogized the comet’s presence to a “blind date,” explaining, “You often assume that the dating partner would be very friendly, but you have to worry about serial killers, as well.” The mysterious space object with a tail sparked speculation about its possible origin, with the scientist suggesting in his recent paper that this tail could be indicative of a "controlled manoeuvring" alien craft and a high-impact Black Swan event.
3I/ATLAS, believed to have originated from outside our solar system, was first detected in July 2025 by the ATLAS survey telescope. The Nordic Optical Telescope in Spain's Canary Islands captured its new images in September.
ALSO READ: Aaron Rodgers's married life sparks curiosity as mystery around his wife deepens: Is the NFL star hiding something?
Is 3I/ATLAS dangerous to Earth?
While NASA’s official position is that 31/ATLAS does not pose any threat, the IAWN has already begun efforts to monitor the interstellar entity to assess whether this is indeed the case. From November 27, 2025, through January 27, 2026, IAWN will be conducting a “comet campaign to refine methods for pinpointing ATLAS’ exact location.Loeb has raised alarms about 3I/ATLAS’s unusual behavior, noting its non-gravitational acceleration and a trajectory that will take it unusually close to Jupiter, Venus, and Mars. In a provocative paper published in July, he suggested these anomalies could indicate that the object is not natural—but an alien probe sent to observe Earth, potentially with hostile intent.
“The hypothesis proposed is that [31/ATLAS] is a technological artifact with active intelligence,” the paper states. “If so, two possibilities arise: its intentions are either entirely benign or overtly malign.” 3I/ATLAS is now just days away from its closest approach to the Sun, a maneuver that could reveal whether it’s a spacecraft using the star’s gravity to adjust its speed and trajectory.
“If 3I/ATLAS is a massive mothership, it is likely to follow its gravitational path and eventually leave the Solar System,” Loeb wrote in a recent blog post.
