3I/ATLAS

The claim

"The third interstellar object is alien technology heading for Jupiter."

Where the idea comes from

Avi Loeb argued its trajectory, size and brightness were unusual and that it could be technological.

What the evidence shows

1. It was discovered by the ATLAS survey on 1 July 2025, on a hyperbolic path, so it came from outside the solar system.
2. Telescopes, including Hubble and Webb, and spacecraft at Mars saw a coma and later a tail, and detected gases such as carbon dioxide and water.
3. NASA released images from several spacecraft in November 2025 showing a comet, with unusual chemistry for an object probably older than the Sun.
4. Its closest approach to Jupiter was in March 2026 as it left the solar system.

What is still open

Its unusual composition is a real science story about other star systems.

Our verdict

Explained It behaves like a comet because it is one.

Sources

• 3I/ATLAS (NASA)
• 3I/ATLAS (Wikipedia)

Checked 31 October 2026. Spotted a newer source? Tell us.