Alien craft or no? Interstellar customer could also be producing its personal mild, says Harvard College scientist

There has been a lot hype and dialogue surrounding 3I/ATLAS because it was first noticed in our Solar System again in 1 July 2025.

Unlike the overwhelming majority of comets we observe from Earth, which originate from the outer edges of our Solar System, 3I/ATLAS is an ‘interstellar customer’.

That means it was born out in deep house, it is briefly passing by means of our Solar System, and can ultimately exit our Solar System.

It’s certainly one of solely three such our bodies recognized, the opposite two being 1I/ʻOumuamua, found in 2017, and 2I/Borisov, found in 2019.

And amongst some voices at the least, there’s dialogue as as to whether interstellar guests like this might in actual fact be extra-terrestrial expertise.

It sounds unbelievable, however the concept appears to have extra traction amongst science circles than you may assume.

Harvard scientist Avi Loeb is one outstanding voice inside discussions about objects like ʻOumuamua and 3I/ATLAS, and somebody who’s open to the opportunity of investigating whether or not they’re exhibiting properties much like how alien spacecraft may behave.

Now, in a blog posted on 18 August 2025, Avi Loeb says there’s proof that 3I/ATLAS could possibly be producing its personal mild.

Why 3I/ATLAS could possibly be producing its personal mild

In the weblog publish, Loeb seems to the current Hubble Space Telescope picture of 3I/ATLAS.

“The image shows a glow of light, likely from a coma, ahead of the motion of 3I/ATLAS towards the Sun. There is no evidence for a bright cometary tail in the opposite direction,” he writes.

“This glow was interpreted as evaporation of dust from the Sun-facing side of 3I/ATLAS.”

After evaluation of the sunshine emitted by 3I/ATLAS, as described in a science paper published on 20 August 2025, Loeb then writes:

“The simplest interpretation is that the nucleus of 3I/ATLAS produces most of the light.”

And:

“3I/ATLAS could possibly be a spacecraft powered by nuclear vitality, and the mud emitted from its frontal floor is perhaps from grime that accrued on its floor throughout its interstellar journey.

“This cannot be ruled out, but requires better evidence to be viable.”

He continues:

“This leaves us with the interpretation of the brightness profile around 3I/ATLAS as originating from a central light source. Its potential technological origin is supported by its fine-tuned trajectory.”

What’s extra, Loeb argues the information could possibly be interpreted as exhibiting that “3I/ATLAS could in fact comparable size to the previous interstellar objects 1I/`Oumuamua or 2I/Borisov.”

Of course, these are simply snippets from a bigger weblog publish drilling down into the potential sources of the thing’s mild.

The full publish is an enchanting learn, and breaks down the science behind Loeb’s interpretation of the information on 3I/ATLAS collected by the Hubble Space Telescope.

Naturally, Loeb’s feedback surrounding these interstellar objects draw a lot dialogue and debate on-line, from these each agreeing and disagreeing together with his analyses.

But no matter your individual ideas, Loeb’s feedback are an attention-grabbing, thought-provoking addition to the discourse round these unusual objects passing by means of our stellar neighbourhood from the depths of the cosmos.

What are your ideas on 3I/ATLAS? Let us know by emailing [email protected]