Joe Yates
NASA has just launched a new mission to keep tabs on a Manhattan-sized interstellar comet that’s acting unlike anything scientists have ever seen before.
Known as Comet 3I/ATLAS, the mysterious object has been flashing red flags since it was first spotted back in July of this year.
The International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) - a global coalition of astronomers and space agencies - has now added the comet to its official watchlist, describing it as a potential 'planetary threat'.
This massive space rock has shown off some seriously strange behavior, from spraying jets of particles toward the Sun instead of away from it - something known as an 'anti-tail' - to releasing a metal compound never before seen in nature.
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Scientists say it’s spewing around four grams of nickel per second, but with zero trace of iron - a combo that doesn’t occur in typical comets.
Even wilder, that same alloy - nickel tetracarbonyl - is something humans have only ever made in labs.
"The alloy has previously been witnessed only in human manufacturing," Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb told the New York Post.
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Loeb, who’s become known for his controversial theories about alien technology, pointed out that the comet’s odd acceleration and non-standard flight path could hint at something more than a chunk of ice and rock.
"It could indicate that it was an alien probe sent to do recon on Earth," he speculated.
To get a closer look, IAWN will kick off a massive 'comet campaign' from November 27 through January 27, designed to sharpen detection methods and track 31/ATLAS' movements - ultimately in preparation to defend Earth.
"To prepare for the campaign, we will hold a workshop on techniques to correctly measure comet astrometry," the group announced.
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Naturally, space enthusiasts on social media are losing it.
"So, this is what's happening, for the first time in history, an interstellar object namely 3I/ATLAS has been formally enrolled in a planetary defense–level observation campaign," one user wrote on X.
"They’re calling it 'a test of improved astrometry methods.' In other words, the object isn’t behaving like it should."
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Still, NASA and IAWN insist the operation is more about refining observation skills than readying any doomsday plans - coincidentally, 3I/ATLAS is about to make its closest pass to the Sun before vanishing from view - a move that Loeb says could actually be a 'maneuver' using the Sun’s gravity for speed.
"At around 28 miles wide, 3I/ATLAS might not be a harmless comet," Loeb warned in a recent blog post.
"If it’s a massive mothership, it will likely continue along its original path and eventually exit the Solar System."