Africa-Press – Tanzania. A newly observed interstellar object, 3I/ATLAS, has captured astronomers’ attention for its speed, size and unusual trajectory, which Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb has suggested could be an alien probe.
It is only the third time in history that scientists have detected an object entering our solar system from beyond, according to ScienceDaily’s report released on Wednesday.
Traveling at a staggering 152,235 miles (245,000 kilometers) per hour and possibly spanning up to 12 miles (20 kilometers) in diameter, 3I/ATLAS may even predate the sun, the daily noted.
In a paper posted to the arXiv preprint server titled, “Is the Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS Alien Technology?”, Loeb highlighted the object’s unusual orbit, which passes close to Venus, Mars and Jupiter.
“The alignment is intriguing,” said Loeb, noting similarities to the controversial interstellar visitor 1I/ʻOumuamua discovered in 2017, which he previously argued could have been a spacecraft.
While human-made probes such as Voyager and Pioneer have left the solar system, Loeb contended it is plausible that advanced civilizations elsewhere might have done the same.
Detecting alien probes, he noted, would likely hinge on signs such as radio transmissions, propulsion or an approach toward Earth’s life-supporting environment.
For now, 3I/ATLAS remains a mysterious, extraordinarily fast and ancient visitor. “Objects like 3I/ATLAS remind us that space is vast, strange, and full of surprises,” said Loeb, underscoring the need to refine our methods for observing and understanding the cosmos.
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