3i Atlas

[poliphilo]

 3i Atlas is a very peculiar thingy that is hurrying through the solar system from a source far out in space. The original wisdom was that it was just another comet- though a very big one- but the trouble is that it's not behaving like a comet. It's such an anomaly that even the scientists- at least the bolder ones- are saying, "Could be artificial...", "Could be alien....", Could be conscious or consciously directed...."  The closer it gets to us the less data is being shared with the public and- well I never- it's approach to Mars coincided with the shut-down of the US government- which includes NASA with all its probes and talking heads. 

And, well, that's all really: 3i Atlas is odd, it doesn't fit with our established scientific paradigms, the boffins are brainstorming among themselves but don't want to let the rest of us in on the conversation. The psychics and channelers are having a field day....

I have nothing to say from myself. I just wanted to acknowledge here, publicly, that this is going on.....

Comments

[paserbyp]

Astronomers believe that 3I/ATLAS came from the center of the Milky Way, where it was likely booted out of its original star system by a gravitational disturbance like the close flyby of another star, braving interstellar space before eventually cruising through our solar neighborhood.

One particularly unusual feature of 3I/ATLAS is that it appears as though its tail points toward the Sun. Normally, comet tails point away from the Sun due to solar radiation pressure, and 3I/ATLAS does have a faint tail like this.

Trajectory of 3I/ATLAS to Earth

Object Date
Mars 2025-Oct-03
Sun 2025-Oct-29
Venus 2025-Nov-03
Earth 2025-Dec-19

[poliphilo]

Yeah, but it's very likely not a comet.....

[paserbyp]

On 16 July 2025, astrophysicist Avi Loeb and other researchers of the Initiative for Interstellar Studies published a paper on arXiv speculating that 3I/ATLAS could be an extraterrestrial spacecraft because they believed the object had "anomalous" characteristics, such as having an apparently large size, lack of identifiable chemicals, and an apparently improbable trajectory aligned with the Solar System's ecliptic plane. Other astronomers, including Chris Lintott, immediately criticized Loeb's speculation; the science news website Live Science reported that "the overwhelming consensus is that it is a comet," with many researchers "disappointed with the new paper and pointed out that it distracts from the work of other scientists.

Astronomer Samantha Lawler highlighted that "while it is important to remain open-minded about any 'testable prediction', the new paper [by Loeb et al.] pushes this sentiment to the limit." Lawler further said that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, while "the evidence presented [by Loeb et al.] is absolutely not extraordinary.