Free Republic

Mysterious interstellar object 3I/ATLAS has reemerged from behind the Sun, allowing astronomers to once again get a glimpse at the rare visitor...and is expected to make its closest pass of the Earth just days before Christmas on its way back out of our star system.... .. judging by the latest data, ...Loeb suggests that if 3I/ATLAS really is a visitor from a technological civilization — a possibility he’s floated repeatedly — then it may be trying to boost its exit from the solar system to a breakneck pace. (Let’s face it: getting away from Earth as rapidly as possible makes...

Shocking new images of the interstellar visitor have revealed that it has mysteriously shrunk in size weeks ahead of its closest approach to Earth. NASA recently calculated the change, noting it shed 13 percent of its material after 3I/ATLAS soaring past the sun last month. Harvard Professor Avi Loeb, who has been analyzing the object since the summer, noted that this sudden shrinkage was directly tied to the noticeable change in the interstellar object's course as it moved closer to the sun. 'For a typical comet, this should have resulted in a massive coma with dust and gas that would...

A Harvard astrophysicist who believes the Manhattan-sized comet hurtling towards Earth could possibly be fueled by alien technology has invited Kim Kardashian to join his research team — after she got a quick response from the federal government. Kardashian asked NASA’s acting administrator Sean Duffy on X last week to spill the “tea” on 3I/ATLAS, the mysterious interstellar comet that’s baffled scientists like Avi Loeb with its anomalous qualities. “Great question!” Duffy promptly responded to Kardashian’s query. “@NASA’s observations show that this is the third interstellar comet to pass through our solar system. No aliens. No threat to life here...

Behind the Sun, the comet appears to show signs of acceleration beyond what is expected by gravity. And for reasons not yet clear, it appears to have changed color. Ateam of astronomers monitoring interstellar object 3I/ATLAS have found something a little surprising. Our third confirmed interstellar visitor appears to have changed color for the second time. Meanwhile, another team finds that the comet has begun to show signs of non-gravitational acceleration as it approached perihelion. For those of you who haven't been following the story of our third interstellar visitor, on July 1, astronomers at the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert...

❓WHAT HAPPENED: An interstellar object, 3I/ATLAS, has picked up speed unexpectedly as it moves away from the sun and closer to Earth, defying gravitational predictions. 👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: NASA scientists, Harvard physicist Avi Loeb, and astronomers tracking the object. 📍WHEN & WHERE: The object reached perihelion on October 29, 2025, and is now six weeks away from its closest approach to Earth. 💬KEY QUOTE: “If 3I/ATLAS is not enshrouded in a much more massive gas cloud after perihelion than it had in the months preceding perihelion, then its recent non-gravitational acceleration must have resulted from a different cause than cometary...

Comet 3I/ATLAS is heading toward a rare encounter with NASA’s Europa Clipper, offering a unique opportunity to uncover secrets of the cosmos. © Image credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/Shadow the Scientist NASA’s Europa Clipper mission, currently on its way to Jupiter, may soon encounter a unique scientific opportunity. The interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is about to cross the path of the spacecraft’s trajectory, potentially showering it with charged particles from its ion tail. This rare alignment could provide the closest look yet at material from beyond our solar system, offering a glimpse into the distant star systems where such comets originated. A...

3I/ATLAS is a mad topic surrounded by speculations about aliens and other controversial takes. But there's a lot of real science about this fascinating objects. So, in this video we put together all the major discoveries and scientific papers about 3I/ATLAS. 3I/ATLAS Is Extremely Weird. But Not In The Ways You Think | 23:39 Fraser Cain | 476K subscribers | 74,119 views | October 10, 2025

3I/ATLAS, as seen by the Gemini South observatory in August 2025 (Credit: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/Shadow the Scientist). ============================================================================ Physicists have detected water activity during observations of the mysterious comet 3I/ATLAS, marking the first time hydroxyl gas, a chemical signature of water, has been detected from the interstellar visitor. Using NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, the Auburn University team determined 3I/ATLAS is releasing water at a rate of roughly 40 kilograms per second, comparable to a fire hose running at full blast, while positioned nearly three times farther from the Sun than Earth. What makes this finding particularly remarkable is the...