A comet is barreling through our solar system, approaching Earth. And it’s not just any comet: 3I/ATLAS has sparked debate, mysteries, and even alien speculation. All eyes (and telescopes) are on December 19th, when it comes closest to our planet.
As you may have heard, there’s a mighty-sized comet coming into its best view, and closest proximity to Earth, peaking at right about December 19th (Friday night).
While most scientists consider it just a comet, a select few, including Harvard scientist Arvi Loeb, who flag anomalies in its anti-tail and rotation, point out that our interstellar visitor is unlike anything ever seen before.
“I cannot emphasize the significance of this discovery enough,” said Loeb, in the latest update on his The Angry Astronaut YouTube channel, noting that each new anomaly in 3I/ATLAS makes “the odds of it being a natural object… that much more remote.”
Loeb has remained consistent in his conviction throughout 2025, building curiosity and hype. He is entertaining the possibility that the anomaly could be an alien craft, and even published Thanksgiving letters of gratitude for 3I/ATLAS from subscribers to his Medium blog.
The observed anomalies
So far, we know that the 3I/ATLAS has anti-solar jets pointing toward the sun (it’s usually the opposite), two poles showing symmetrical activity (commonly irregular), and a spin axis just like our Sun's (less than 1% chance normally).
With 3I/ATLAS being such an outlier, it’s no wonder that it’s been mooted as a potential artificial craft. And, as so much of the cosmic community either rules it in or out, Loeb encourages speculative heed.
Every time we see a new behavior from this object, a new anomaly, the odds of it being a natural object become that much more remote.
Avi Loeb
This comes at a contrast with the BBC’s Sky at Night Magazine, aligning with NASA, and proclaiming, “It’s just a comet, a big chunk of dark, dusty, dirty rock that’s passing through our Solar System after travelling through space for who knows how many millions of years.”
Is it whimsical hype?
Loeb may have a dramatic demeanour, but it’s the 99% club ruling out the possibility that he is the problem:
“Why then can't we at least explore this possibility? Ninety-nine percent of the scientific community utterly refuses to do this,” questioned Loeb.
The Reddit community sometimes questions such a cult-like status of a personality, with poster @ChiefLeef22 considering last month that Loeb “carefully hedges the probability it’s a spacecraft,” while asking such pertinent questions.
Every Single One Of Loeb’s 3I/ATLAS “Anomalies” Deconstructed | Avi Loeb carefully hedges the probability it's a spacecraft around 40%, giving him plausible deniability of the bad-faith “just asking questions” variety while still making the comet sound weird enough to get him TV time and fan mail.
byu/ChiefLeef22 inspace
Is it visible?
The distance at closest approach for 3I/Atlas is 170 million miles from Earth, which is still a considerable distance
The comet is too faint to see with the naked eye, and you’ll need a telescope to see it. However, the Virtual Telescope Project livestream starts at 8 p.m. EST on December 18th, should you want to track it.
It should prove to be a beguiling evening, especially considering the fervent conversations so far.
“These things are happening. These things are true. These things can be proven scientifically. There is no reason to omit them,” Loeb said.
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