There has been plenty of speculation surrounding the status and intention of a rare space object known as Comet 3I/ATLAS, with many believing that it has extraterrestrial origins and is the sign of an impending invasion on Earth.
There are many things that draw the interest of alien believers, but a mysterious object that's currently hurtling towards Earth at around 130,000 miles per hour (209,000 km/h) is one of the biggest in recent times.
It remains relatively unknown to even the most knowledgable scientists at the world's largest space agencies, as its speed, shape, and trajectory has left many confused.
Known as Comet 3I/ATLAS, it is believed to have originated outside of our solar system and will continue forward until it exists almost as quickly as it arrived, traveling at such a speed that it doesn't even become subject to the Sun's gravitational pull.
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While many scientists have downplayed concerns surrounding the mysterious object, claiming that it's not artificial despite its unusual qualities, that hasn't stopped other experts from offering their own wild theories.
Harvard scientist Avi Loeb is leading the claims that 3I/ATLAS is an alien object, claiming it could even be sign of an impending invasion that would "potentially be dire for humanity."
One claim that is seemingly key to Loeb's claims is the object's trajectory, which takes it behind the Sun when passing within proximity to Earth, blocking any telescopes from investigating it when it would otherwise be at its brightest.
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"This could be intentional to avoid detail observations from Earth-based telescopes when the object is brightest or when gadgets are sent to Earth from that hidden vantage point," it's speculated.
The implication is then that it would be primed to attack our planet when it emerges from the other side of the Sun, coming dangerously close to Earth at that point and launching an invasion.
As reported by the Metro, you can now follow the exact live location of Comet 3I/ATLAS thanks to a tracker developed by NASA, perhaps giving you some piece of mind that this invasion hopefully isn't going to happen.
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The tracker shows that, at the time one writing, Comet 3I/ATLAS is around 230.2 million miles (370.5 kilometers) away from Earth, having recently passed Mars.
It now continuing on its journey behind the Sun from our view, and will reach its closest point to Earth's orbit at the start of November – although our planet will at that point be on the other side of its rotation, perhaps in a lucky turn of events.
Near the end of March next year it will narrowly pass by Jupiter on its way out of the solar system, and then by May 2028 it will have completely escaped the orbital path of Neptune, effectively escaping our solar system without becoming subject to the Sun's gravity.
Of course, any skeptics would have you believe that this current trajectory would dramatically change when the 'alien object' decides to turn its attention to Earth or any other planet, but at the moment it appears to be harmlessly passing through without any intention to stop.