A Harvard astrophysicist is raising eyebrows, and alarms, with a bold theory about a mysterious object currently racing through our inner solar system.
Dr. Avi Loeb, former chair of Harvard’s astronomy department, believes new Hubble Space Telescope images of interstellar object 31/ATLAS suggest it’s not just an unusually shaped comet, as NASA has classified it, but possibly an alien probe; one that could either help or harm humanity.
The object, first detected in early July, is roughly the size of Manhattan and moving at remarkable speed. NASA scientists say it’s a comet with odd features, but Loeb insists the data reveals something never before seen.
“Usually, for comets, you see a tail trailing behind the object,” Loeb told CNN. “Here, the glow is actually in front of it. We’ve never seen such a thing. A comet doesn’t glow in front.”
In a recent blog post, Loeb described the glow as “puzzling,” noting that Hubble’s July 21 images show a clear concentration of light ahead of the object, with no detectable gas molecules that would normally create a comet’s tail. This unusual behavior, he suggests, could indicate propulsion, perhaps by an intelligent extraterrestrial civilization.
“It may come to save us or destroy us,” Loeb wrote. “We’d better be ready for both options and check whether all interstellar objects are rocks.”
The physicist also points to 31/ATLAS’s precise trajectory. According to his calculations, its path lies within five degrees of the plane where all the planets orbit the Sun. Even more curious, it will make its closest approach to the Sun on October 31, when Earth will be on the opposite side of its orbit, rendering direct observation from our planet nearly impossible.
“That’s the perfect time for it to maneuver,” Loeb said, adding that the path is also ideal for observing planetary movements, a potential reconnaissance tactic.
Loeb has called for heightened monitoring over the next two months, noting that the object will brighten as it nears the Sun, providing a window for further study before it disappears from view.
His push for scrutiny has even reached Washington. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) publicly backed Loeb’s call for NASA to extend its Juno mission to investigate 31/ATLAS. “Thank you Avi Loeb for your continued dedication to exploring our universe,” she wrote on X. “We must seize this opportunity for groundbreaking discovery.”
For now, whether 31/ATLAS is an exotic comet, a rogue rock, or something more ominous remains an open question — one scientists are racing to answer before Halloween arrives.