Posted on 08/11/2025 2:42:20 AM PDT by RoosterRedux
Astronomers recently discovered a rare interstellar object passing through our solar system, and a Harvard physicist is sounding the alarm that its strange characteristics might indicate it’s more than just a typical comet.
"Maybe the trajectory was designed," Dr. Avi Loeb, science professor at Harvard University, told Fox News Digital. "If it had an objective to sort of to be on a reconnaissance mission, to either send mini probes to those planets or monitor them… It seems quite anomalous."
The object — dubbed 3I/ATLAS — was first detected in early July by an Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System, or ATLAS, telescope located in Chile. The discovery marked only the third time an interstellar object has been observed entering our solar system, according to NASA.
Although NASA has classified the object as a comet, Loeb noted that an image of the cosmic visitor indicated an unexpected glow appearing in front of the object, rather than trailing behind it — something he described as "quite surprising."
"Usually with comets you have a tail, a cometary tail, where dust and gas are shining, reflecting sunlight, and that's the signature of a comet," Loeb told Fox News Digital. "Here, you see a glow in front of it, not behind it."
Measuring about 20 kilometers across, making it larger than Manhattan, 3I/ATLAS is also unusually bright for its distance. However, according to Loeb, its most unusual characteristic is its trajectory.
"If you imagine objects entering the solar system from random directions, just one in 500 of them would be aligned so well with the orbits of the planets," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Once upon a time, Harvard was a respected institute of higher learning.
“But, that was yesterday…and yesterday’s gone!”
And to add to that, Proxima Centauri b is the closest planet supposedly capable of life as we know it, is 4.24 light years away... using your math that would be 189,952 years away.
Rooster—we will have to agree to disagree on this one.
Loeb is the master of wild speculation with zero evidence.
The “attention” he is bringing to astronomy makes it look like witch-craft.
Its just like the last "alien probe" that came through: An inert chunk of rock.
Not all the attention Loeb brings to astronomy comes from his speculation—he’s also done serious work in mainstream astrophysics and ambitious field projects. That said, some of his speculation can be pretty wild, and even he calls it that at times.
If it starts to slow down, we’re doomed!......................
Grace Slick.....................
I cannot resist:
https://avi-loeb.medium.com/we-owe-our-existence-to-dark-matter-fd5aede50cda
Loeb says the universe in 85% dark matter in this article.
CERN:
“Dark matter seems to outweigh visible matter roughly six to one, making up about 27% of the universe. Here’s a sobering fact: The matter we know and that makes up all stars and galaxies only accounts for 5% of the content of the universe!”
https://home.cern/science/physics/dark-matter
A different Harvard source:
https://chandra.harvard.edu/darkuniverse/
“Like the jelly beans in this jar, the Universe is mostly dark: about 96 percent consists of dark energy (about 69%) and dark matter (about 26%)”
NASA:
https://science.nasa.gov/universe/overview/building-blocks/
“While scientists have measured that dark matter makes up about 27% of the cosmos, they’re not sure what it is”
I could go on and on....
Astro-physics and physics in general is in a state of crisis.
They can’t get their story straight.
One other comment on the “dark matter” issue.
Astrophysics uses mathematics to make these calculations.
How can you get math wrong in this age of computers?
Lol.
The 3I/Atlas and Avi Loeb keywords, sorted:
Soon
Alternate headline:
“Harvard Scientist Demonstrates the Other Reason why it was Good to Revoke their Research Dollars”
Did or did not Avi speculate that this object could be an alien probe on a reconnaissance mission?
—
He gave it a 4 rating based on the known observations and the raw data & science behind those observations.
We speculate knowing little of the science and have only text to judge the observations, and none of the raw data which Avi uses. So one could say his are informed speculations, while ours are just wild guesses. There is a huge difference between the 2.
it’s an interpretation built on two anomalies: the sunward “tail” and the orbital plane.
—
As well as the object’s diameter, speed, composition, & miraculous avoidance of any collisions during its apparent life time of galactic travel or even while crossing the Asteroid Belt.
“Harvard Scientist Demonstrates the Other Reason why it was Good to Revoke their Research Dollars”
—
Poster Demonstrates Why Ignorance is The Preferred State And The Rule on FR.
I haven't made any guesses—wild or otherwise—about this "comet." Have you?
I guess it it starts slowing down we can get excited.
—
We will not know that until it passes the Sun. By then, any slowing or course change will be difficult because we will only see it by looking directly into the Sun.
Someone on board obviously forgot to turn on the cloaking device. /sarc
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.