A Harvard scientist had expressed alarm as an object the size of Manhattan continues to glide through our solar system, releasing a metallic vapour with a baffling composition.
Since interstellar object 3I/ATLAS was discovered in July, experts from across the globe have been expressing theories on what they believe it could be as it seemingly makes its way across the Solar System.
One of the most bizarre conspiracies is that the 21 km item is perhaps crafted from ‘alien technology’, allegedly proving the existence of extraterrestrial beings.
On Wednesday (October 15), new images of the object were released, with previous snaps of 3I/ATLAS already showing a few of its unique characteristics.
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These latest graphics, captured by the Keck II telescope in Hawaii in August, showed the anomaly producing a metal alloy never before witnessed in nature, according to the New York Post.
In the recently-submitted study, Spatial Profiles of 3I/ATLAS CN and Ni Outgassing from Keck/KCWI Integral Field Spectroscopy, scientists from the Keck Observatory have analyzed the images, claiming the metal alloy is a cocktail of nickel and chromium.
The result is an alloy called nickel tetracarbonyl.
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According to the researchers, this combination is only used in high-temperature industrial alloys, meaning it's rarely seen outside of complex industrial processes.
It is also entirely unknown in naturally occurring space objects, according to the International Business Times.
In a new interview with the New York Post, Harvard astrophysicist and director at the Centre for Astrophysics, Dr Avi Loeb, explained that 3I/ATLAS’s spectral signature ‘does not match any natural asteroid or comet’ he has ever catalogued.
“If this alloy was manufactured, it would point to an artificial origin — potentially a probe or fragment of alien technology.”
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Despite the study suggesting that this nickel-producing phenomenon, though strange, is natural, Loeb disagrees, though this isn't the first time he's claimed that it's not a 'natural' space object.
“This was a process that we can imagine only because it was used in industry,” he said, adding, “Never seen in comets before.”
The expert has also commented on the object’s lack of a cometary tail, remarking: “We usually see beautiful tails extending from the object away from the Sun, and in this case, there was no evidence for such a tail.”
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Speaking to The Guardian, Dr Laura Benton of the European Southern Observatory said that while no one is stating the interstellar article is ‘alien hardware, the data forces us to question our assumptions about what's naturally possible in the interstellar medium'.
NASA has already shut down speculation that 3I/ATLAS may be dangerous.
In a press release, the space agency claimed there was ‘no credible evidence’ to suggest an ‘artificial origin’ of the interstellar object - categorized due to the hyperbolic shape of its orbital path.
The object will continue to travel through the Solar System before exiting in 2026.
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Skywatchers around the world are currently waiting for images of 3I/ATLAS to be released.
These pictures, taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’s HiRISE camera, were snapped between October 4 and October 7.
Topics: Space, NASA, Aliens, Technology, World News
Ella Scott