A Manhattan-sized space object is speeding through our solar system - and one top scientist thinks it could be more than just a comet.
Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb has raised eyebrows with a bold claim: 3I/ATLAS might be an interstellar “Trojan horse,” hinting at possible extraterrestrial origins and even hostile intentions.
The object, discovered in July and now under close watch by the NASA-backed International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN), has been triggering emergency monitoring protocols thanks to a series of strange behaviors not typically seen in comets.
Bigger, Weirder, and Potentially Not Natural
Speaking to Elizabeth Vargas Reports, Loeb expressed deep concern about the comet’s size and trajectory. Using data from the James Webb Space Telescope, he estimated that 3I/ATLAS could weigh as much as 33 billion tons.
“It’s at least a thousand times more massive than the previous interstellar objects we’ve seen,” Loeb said. “And the question is, why is such a giant object delivered to our inner solar system, when we saw only small ones before?”
The first image NASA captured of Comet 3I Atlas. Credit: ATLAS/University of Hawaii/NASA
Loeb believes this unexpected size could be a sign of something more. He warned that the international community should prepare for a “black swan event”—a rare, high-impact occurrence that seems obvious only after it happens.
In Loeb’s words, 3I/ATLAS “could appear natural at first” but end up “being like a Trojan Horse.”
He compared its arrival to a sketchy blind date: “You often assume that the dating partner would be very friendly, but you have to worry about serial killers, as well.”
Unnatural Behavior Sparks Emergency Monitoring
Despite NASA’s official stance that 3I/ATLAS poses no immediate danger, IAWN isn’t taking chances.
From November 27, 2025, to January 27, 2026, the organization will run a dedicated “comet campaign” aimed at refining their tracking methods and locating the object with greater accuracy.
The move follows several puzzling behaviors that don’t align with known cometary science. Among the red flags: an “anti-tail” — a stream of particles pointing toward the sun rather than away, which defies typical comet behavior.
ATLAS has also been caught emitting a steady plume of nickel — specifically, four grams per second — without any detectable iron. According to Loeb, that’s not just odd; it’s almost industrial.
“The alloy, nickel tetracarbonyl, has only been previously witnessed in human manufacturing,” Loeb told The New York Post.
Unsettling Trajectory Raises New Questions
What’s even stranger is how 3I/ATLAS moves. Scientists have detected non-gravitational acceleration and an unusual flight path that will take it near Jupiter, Venus, and Mars. Loeb argues that these characteristics could indicate artificial design.
In a controversial paper published earlier this year, Loeb suggested that the object might be an alien probe with reconnaissance goals - possibly even hostile ones.
“The hypothesis in question is that [31/ATLAS] is a technological artifact, and furthermore has active intelligence,” he wrote. “If this is the case, then two possibilities follow. First, that its intentions are entirely benign and second, they are malign.”
Is It Using the Sun to Gain Speed?
As the massive object approaches its closest pass to the Sun, it could reveal even more. Loeb believes this moment may show whether it’s a natural space rock - or something more.
“If 3I/ATLAS is a massive mothership, it will likely continue along its original gravitational path and ultimately exit the Solar system,” he noted in a blog post this week.
Either way, this comet is sparking interest across the globe as some wonder whether there might be alien life involved.