Harvard scientist issues alien statement as 'not natural' space object approaches Mars

Remember that foreign space object hurtling towards us at break-neck speed?

Well, the suspected comet, 3I/ATLAS, soared past Mars earlier this week, giving astronomers a closer glimpse. And now, Harvard scientist Avi Loeb has warned of the worrying reality if the object were, in fact, a hostile visitor from another planet.

The apparent space rock was first spotted back in July by a space telescope at Río Hurtado, Chile. It's thought to be an 'interstellar' space rock, having traveled from well beyond our solar system, and now through ours. Only two other interstellar objects have ever been identified; Oumuamua in 2017 and Borisov in 2019.

The European Space Agency (ESA) got a closer look at 3I/ATLAS as it passed Mars between 1 and 7 October. During its closest approach on 3 October, the comet was still 30 million kilometers away.

But ESA’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter managed to capture blurry footage showing a small white dot; the comet’s core surrounded by a cloud of gas and dust called a coma.

3I/ATLAS (to the right) and its coma, as captured by ESA’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (ESA/TGO/CaSSIS)

As 3I/ATLAS moves closer to the Sun, it will heat up, releasing more gas and dust to form a tail, which may become visible in future images.

Scientists are now analysing data to learn what the comet is made of, while ESA’s Juice spacecraft will observe it again in November, with results expected in February.

While NASA assures us 3I/ATLAS is a comet and won't cause us any harm, others have described it as ‘possibly hostile’ amid fears it could wreak havoc on planet Earth. And Harvard physicist Loeb has questioned whether the unusual object is natural at all.

In a recent blog post, he explored how the US government might respond if 3I/ATLAS did, in fact, turn out to be an alien probe. And his answer isn't exactly reassuring...

Loeb explained that as far as he's aware, there are 'no protocols for responding to the discovery of functioning alien devices near Earth.' Great!

"A visitor in our backyard requires immediate attention because it could enter through the front door and pose an imminent threat," he warned.

He added that in 2005, Congress tasked NASA to identify 90 percent of all space rocks larger than 140 meters that could collide with us. But he also pointed out that alien technology is way less predictable than rocks.

Scientist Avi Loeb has called for a new interstellar space object committee to be formed (Anibal Martel/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Ultimately, 'we do not have a contingency plan on how to search and respond to such a threat,' Loeb said.

But the expert isn't just sitting back and letting this happen - quite the opposite, in fact.

Last week, he and two other scientists submitted a white paper to the United Nations, urging them to create a committee to address 'possible threats from interstellar objects'.

The new UN committee, UNCIO, would coordinate the world’s response to interstellar objects by spotting them quickly, studying them safely and deciding how to respond if one looked unusual or posed a risk. It would bring together scientists, governments and space agencies to share telescope data, launch rapid investigation missions and create global rules for studying or communicating with any object that might be technological.

It's thought the closest 3I/ATLAS will come to Earth is 269 million on December 19, 2025. Again, space agencies stress it will pose no harm to us.

But I suppose only time will tell...