New evidence that 3I/ATLAS might not be everything it's made out to be has emerged following the so-called 'alien' threat's emergence from behind the Sun, leaving skeptics with a second wind before closer investigation is possible.
While NASA and other scientists have remained certain and confident that the mystery object known as 3I/ATLAS is simply just a comet that's came into our solar system from the outside, a select few hold a rather contrarian perspective on the matter.
The relatively unknown nature of this floating space object has led some to become convinced that it's an alien vessel almost akin to a UFO or even a mothership, and it's ultimate goal is to invade our solar system and potentially even attack Earth.
Key to this argument is a number of rather unusual properties possessed by the comet, including both a tail and an anti-tail, alongside the detection of a 'radio signal' that could indicate some attempts to communicate.
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As reported by LADbible, another potentially key piece of evidence has emerged to support these claims, as the first sight of 3I/ATLAS after it has passed behind the Sun appear to show that it remains completely intact.
This is particularly intriguing because most comets heat up and start to spew dust and various gases when coming into close proximity with the Sun, and can even become a giant glowing head that's larger than most planets.
However, the latest data sourced from the mystery comet suggests that no such fragments or debris was found falling off 3I/ATLAS, having only a glowing coma surrounding it with an 'envelope' of gas traveling both towards and away from the Sun.
Astronomers David Jewitt and Jane Luu have revealed that "3I/ATLAS continues as an active, single body, with no evidence for breakup following the recent perihelion passage," with fresh snaps captured by the Nordic Optical Telescope supporting these claims.
It won't be until early December at the very least that we're able to get a proper look at the comet following its path behind the Sun, and that'll give us a much better impression of what it actually is.
That could put the alien theories to bed or ramp up people's fears significantly, but Harvard scientist Avi Loeb — who is leading the alien-adjacent theories for 3I/ATLAS – has urged his colleagues to play it safe and expect the worst.
"I believe that we need an international organization that will make policy decisions about such an object," Loeb claimed, adding that "we are worried about existential threats from artificial intelligence, from global climate change, from an asteroid impact, but we never discuss alien technology."