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.
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.
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."
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."