Could this interstellar object actually be an alien artifact?
Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb is stirring things up by suggesting that 3I/ATLAS—a rare visitor from outside our solar system—might not be a typical comet at all.
Its weird "heartbeat" pulse doesn't really match what we expect from natural space rocks.
For context, Earth only gets hit by meter-sized interstellar objects about once every 10 years.
Why does it matter?
Loeb thinks there's a chance advanced civilizations from older stars could have sent objects like 3I/ATLAS to spread life across the galaxy.
He also points out that we've only recently started tracking these interstellar visitors, so we might have missed plenty before.
While NASA still calls 3I/ATLAS a comet, its odd features make Loeb wonder if there's more to the story.
What's next?
This whole debate shows how little we know about mysterious space objects flying through our neighborhood.
Loeb hopes it inspires more investment in space research so we can figure out what—and who—might be out there.