"It is only the third known object originating outside the solar system to pass through and was named for the Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System (Atlas) survey telescope in Rio Hurtado, Chile, that discovered it on 1 July. Loeb says observations of the object so far have not revealed gaseous tails of dust and plasma common to comets originating inside the solar system, and have shown it following an unorthodox trajectory, suggesting a technological artifact with active intelligence."
"[If] future data will indicate the absence of a cometary tail, we will be faced with the tantalizing possibility that it did not inherit a random velocity in interstellar space but instead was sent towards the inner solar system by design, Loeb wrote in a blogpost. Even more sinister, Loeb asserts in his paper, is the possibility of the object performing a clandestine deep space maneuver while it is hidden behind the sun in late October, then setting course for a malign intent rendezvous with Earth."
"The consequences, should the hypothesis turn out to be correct, could potentially be dire for humanity, and would possibly require defensive measures to be undertaken, though these might prove futile, he wrote."
NASA discounted a Harvard astronomer's hypothesis that Comet 3I/Atlas could be an artificial object posing a threat to Earth. The object was discovered on 1 July by the ATLAS survey telescope in Rio Hurtado, Chile and is only the third known interstellar visitor. Observations to date have not shown typical cometary gaseous tails and have indicated an unorthodox trajectory. The hypothesis proposes the absence of a tail could imply intentional dispatch toward the inner solar system and raises the possibility of a clandestine maneuver behind the Sun before an Earth-directed approach. NASA continues close observation with ground and space telescopes.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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