3I/Atlas Reaches Closest Point to Earth as Some Scientists Suggest it is not a Comet at all

By Margie Kay

The interstellar object 3I/ATLAS reaches its closest point to Earth on December 19th at 268.9 million kilometers, and viewing conditions could not be better. It is actually a very fortunate coincidence that the new moon occurs on December 19th when 3I/ATLAS is closest to Earth, so there would not be any moonlight contaminating the images that we get. This rare alignment means no lunar interference for ground-based telescopes and amateur astronomers hoping to observe this historic visitor from another star system.

At its closest point to Earth, 3I/ATLAS will be about 270 million km (170 million miles) away—a little under twice the distance between Earth and the Sun.

©NASA, ESA, STScI, D. Jewitt (UCLA), M.-T. Hui (Shanghai Astronomical Observatory). Image Processing: J. DePasquale (STScI)

Estimates for the size of 3I/ATLAS vary from around 320 meters (350 yards) up to around 5.6 km (3.5 miles).

Hundreds of observatories worldwide are preparing to watch, including the Hubble Space Telescope and James Webb Space Telescope. For those with medium-sized telescope equipment, 3I/ATLAS is currently in the constellation Virgo and moving into Leo, visible in the early morning hours before sunrise. Dr. Loeb also noted that there are too many telescopes available for anyone to block the data. This may be the best opportunity to observe 3I/ATLAS before it continues toward Jupiter in spring 2026 and exits our solar system forever.

Watch interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS make its closest approach to Earth in a free livestream

The Virtual Telescope Project will host a free livestream starting at 11 p.m. EST on Dec. 18 (0400 GMT on Dec. 19), sharing real-time telescope views of comet 3I/ATLAS captured by its robotic observatories in Manciano, Italy, weather permitting. Link: https://youtu.be/ficGuvPxV0s

Some astronomers believe that the object is not a comet at all, but rather some type of artificial craft.

Michio Kaku has suggested that 3I/ATLAS could be something far stranger, possibly artificial or alien.

Harvard scientist Avi Loeb slams study claiming 3I/ATLAS is a comet

Avi Loeb has published several articles and findings related to the strange behavior of 3I/ATLAS, which he has been closely monitoring. His research has led to the identification of numerous anomalies that suggest the object could be an alien spacecraft. Here are some of the key findings:

• Sunward Alignment: The object's Sun-facing 'anti-tail' is aligned within less than eight degrees of its rotation axis, which is a significant anomaly that suggests a design purpose.

  
  

• Wobbling High-Altitude Jet: A 'wobbling high-altitude jet' emanating from the object's nucleus has been detected, further supporting the hypothesis of an alien spacecraft.

  
  

• Chemical Signature: The presence of pure nickel gas, which is not found in nature, is another anomaly that Loeb has pointed out, indicating the object's composition is likely artificial.

  
  

• 40% Chance of Alien Technology: Loeb has publicly stated there is a '40% chance' that 3I/ATLAS is alien technology, based on the accumulating list of anomalies.

  
  

  These findings have sparked a debate among astronomers and sparked discussions on the implications of such a discovery for the search for extraterrestrial life. Loeb's work continues to be a focal point in the ongoing exploration of the universe and the possibility of extraterrestrial intelligence.