(NewsNation) — Avi Loeb is calling out colleagues who automatically dismiss his theories that 3I/ATLAS may be more than a comet, given the interstellar object’s myriad anomalies.
For months, the Harvard astrophysicist has intrigued the public with his observations about what he says is a potential alien vessel passing through our solar system. Among the mysteries of 3I/ATLAS are its unusually large size and odd chemical signatures and the stream-like jets coming from the surface reminiscent of rocket “thrusters,” Loeb says (for a complete checklist, read his latest blog post).
“The verdict is still out, and I’m very much looking forward to getting more data in the coming weeks,” Loeb told “NewsNation Prime” on Saturday.
“You know, that’s the way science should be done. It’s like a detective story, and any of my colleagues who claim to know it’s a comet of a type that is familiar to us is not really curious or imaginative about nature.”
More data may be coming soon. Loeb says he has heard that NASA is finally preparing to release high-resolution images of 3I/ATLAS that were taken from Mars on Oct. 2, which may have gotten bogged down in the government shutdown. The information may come as soon as next week, he said.
“Let’s just keep our fingers crossed,” Loeb said.
NASA says 3I/ATLAS is a comet that poses no threat to the Earth when the object reaches its nearest point to us — 170 million miles away — in mid-December.
Other experts suggest Loeb’s points have been overstated, although some appreciate the way he has stimulated the collective imagination.