3I/ATLAS: NASA Calls It a Comet, Harvard Scientist Avi Loeb Suggests Alien Technology – Here's Why

The scientific consensus regarding the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS has fractured, with Harvard physicist Avi Loeb accusing the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of ignoring evidence that suggests the body may be artificial.

While the agency maintains the object is a natural comet based on spectral analysis, Loeb argues that specific anomalies—including a retrograde orbit and a pulsed signal—warrant a more rigorous search for extraterrestrial technology.

Conflicting Views on the True Nature of the Interstellar Visitor

The scientific community is currently embroiled in a high-stakes discussion over the true nature of 3I/ATLAS. Loeb is challenging NASA to provide a scientific explanation for the series of statistical and physical anomalies surrounding what they categorised was just a 'comet.'

The agency still maintains that 3I/ATLAS is likely a unique but natural comet, but Loeb contends they are ignoring critical data points that suggest the object could be artificial in origin and possibly an extraterrestrial probe. He argues that, unlike typical comets from our Solar System, the Interstellar visitor has been displaying a series of unusual features.

The 'Heartbeat' and Orbital Anomalies

Loeb highlights three primary deviations from standard cometary models: its retrograde orbit, massive size (as big as Manhattan in New York), and strong jets of material that appear asymmetrical. In addition, its trajectory aligns closely with the plane—an arrangement that some researchers say is highly unlikely if the object originated randomly from interstellar space.

Most recently, he identified a rhythmic luminosity variation, describing it as a 'heartbeat' signal. Loeb believes this could indicate artificial origins, possibly revealing the mechanisms of an advanced spacecraft.

'The pulses might represent periodic thrusts for trajectory adjustments or an internal operational cycle within the object,' Loeb said. In astrobiology and SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) research, such regularity is often flagged as a potential 'technosignature', distinct from the chaotic tumbling of natural asteroids.

These anomalies have prompted Loeb and other observers to question whether NASA's labeling 3I/ATLAS as a standard comet is enough to explain all the observed phenomena.

The Jupiter Rendezvous and Scientific Transparency

The Harvard scientist also argues that by prematurely categorising 3I/ATLAS as a 'comet' and dismissing the anomalies without thorough scientific investigation, NASA is 'violating the scientific declaration of independence.'

Loeb has called for the publication of unedited raw data and for the deployment of specific resources to monitor the object's expected close approach to Jupiter in March 2026. This encounter is critical; if the object performs a non-gravitational manoeuvre within Jupiter's Hill sphere—the region where the gas giant's gravity dominates—it would provide irrefutable evidence of intelligent control.

'Even if this explanation turns out to be wrong, we must take it seriously because of its huge implications to society. Admitting that there are mysterious facts about 3I/ATLAS endows us with the curiosity to learn something new,' Loeb said in his post on Medium. 'Excluding the anomalies from the vocabulary of NASA officials alienates the public, because it violates the scientific declaration of independence. The proper way to address alternative interpretations of 3I/ATLAS is by explaining anomalies away, not by ignoring them.'

NASA Reaffirms Natural Origin

Despite the pressure, NASA maintains that 3I/ATLAS is a natural interstellar comet. This conclusion is based on their observations, indicating the object has a coma–the cloud of gas and dust surrounding the nucleus.

The agency states this is consistent with known cometary behaviour, and they describe the overall structure as typical for a small icy body entering the Solar System. Officials emphasise that while it displays unusual features, none of those anomalies point to evidence of artificial origin.