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Interstellar Comet Erupts Early, Sparking Alien Tech Debate
3I/ATLAS, traveling at 61 km/s, approaches perihelion near 1.36 AU with unusual jet activity sparking debate over its natural or technological origin, scientists say.
- On Oct. 30, 2025, 3I/ATLAS reached perihelion at 1.35 astronomical units, and NASA reports it poses no threat to Earth.
- The ATLAS telescope network in Chile detected 3I/ATLAS on July 1, 2025, and its hyperbolic trajectory shows it is from another star system.
- Analysis finds the coma is dominated by carbon dioxide and notes eight anomalies placing 3I/ATLAS at rank 4 on the Loeb Scale, according to Avi Loeb, Professor of Science at Harvard University.
- ESA's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter and Mars Express observed 3I/ATLAS from about 18.6 million miles on Oct. 3, while a U.S. government shutdown has limited NASA communications and left amateur astronomers to scour images.
- By early December, 3I/ATLAS will be visible again from Earth, passing Jupiter in March and Saturn by next July, with its chemistry revealing a molecular cloud over seven billion years ago and supporting ESA's Comet Interceptor planned for 2029.
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The interstellar object reaches its closest point to the Sun this Wednesday; its unusual behavior keeps the scientific community in check
·Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Total News Sources81
Leaning Left11Leaning Right9Center19Last UpdatedBias Distribution49% Center
Bias Distribution
- 49% of the sources are Center
49% Center
L 28%
C 49%
R 23%
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