3I/ATLAS Exploded Near the Sun? Avi Loeb Shocking Claims Include Mysterious Jets, Alien Link

3I/ATLAS, the third interstellar object from outside our Solar System passing through this celestial region, has captivated astronomers, science enthusiasts, and the general public. Everyone is keeping an eye on this mysterious 'comet' due to its strange behaviour as it swept past the Sun this year.

Amid a flurry of theories and hypotheses about 3I/ATLAS, Harvard scientist Avi Loeb—known for his bold takes on interstellar objects—is now suggesting that this interstellar visitor may have disintegrated near the Sun. He also points to its strange jets and massive material loss, raising even more intriguing questions, including a potential alien connection.

Did the 3I/ATLAS Explode? Unusual Jets, Mass Loss Explained

Loeb said that based on images captured recently, 3I/ATLAS seemed to be emitting multiple jets. Some of those jet-like trails are pointing in the area toward the Sun, while others extend millions of kilometres in the opposite direction. To produce this 'set of jets', estimations suggest the object could have emitted billions of tons of material per month.

If 3I/ATLAS is a regular comet made of mostly water and dust, the astronomer explained that the required surface area to sustain such outflow would far exceed what space telescopes had detected. Earlier Hubble observations showed 3I/ATLAS having a smaller diameter, suggesting extreme mass loss.

Object in Space

The discrepancy in size (mass loss) led Loeb to wonder if the interstellar object had broken up into pieces near perihelion—the point closest to the Sun. Now, the fragments could have made the observation of the 'jets' possible.

'When the Webb data was taken on August 6, 2025, 3I/ATLAS lost only 150 kilograms per second,' Avi Loeb said in his blog post. 'The mass loss at perihelion derived above is 4 orders of magnitude larger, about 2 million kilograms per second.'

He added, 'Was the dramatic mass loss and brightening of 3I/ATLAS at perihelion evidence that it disintegrated? Breakup into fragments would have increased the surface area of its material. This would mean that 3I/ATLAS exploded at perihelion and we are witnessing the resulting fireworks.'

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Extraterrestrial Angle: Could This Be Alien Technology?

Although fragmentation offers a reasonable explanation, Loeb is not ruling out something far more shocking. The bizarre jets, extreme mass shedding, and odd acceleration of 3I/ATLAS simply do not fit the behaviour of a standard comet - fueling speculation that this object could also have some 'alien' origins since it is not entirely natural.

If 3I/ATLAS is thin, lightweight, or a skillfully built object, the unusual behaviours the comet is exhibiting could make sense. But even then, this does not prove the interstellar visitor is alien-made using extraterrestrial technology - at least not yet.

This December, 3I/ATLAS will swing closer to Earth, giving scientists a rare chance to track it with Hubble, James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), and some of the world's biggest telescopes. And whether it really blew apart near the Sun or not, Avi Loeb's startling claims have only ignited even wilder theories - especially those hinting at an alien connection.