3I/ATLAS: Ahead Of Closest Earth Flyby Harvard Astrophysicist Avi Loeb Flags Exocomet's Sus Anti-Tail Activity
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Harvard's Avi Loeb notes anomalies in exocomet 3I/ATLAS's anti-tail as it approaches Earth, fueling speculation about its origins and nature.
Since its discovery on July 1, 2025, the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS has intrigued scientists and the public alike. As the third interstellar visitor detected – following 1I/Oumuamua (2017) and 2I/Borisov (2019) – 3I/ATLAS has even sparked speculation about alien origins, a consequence of increased disclosure-related content online. While dismissing such theories out of hand isn't wise, any claims about the object's technological origin require rigorous study, not conjecture.
According to Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb, 3I/ATLAS exhibits unusual behavior, particularly its "anti-tail," which he has written about extensively. Loeb, who leads the Galileo Project, has identified at least 14 anomalies associated with the exocomet.
Loeb has highlighted specific aspects of the anti-tail in his research, including:
- The fact that 3I/ATLAS maintained a sunward jet even after its gravitational deflection of 16 degrees at perihelion.
- The tight collimation of the anti-tail's sunward jet.
Loeb notes the low probability (0.000025) of a tightly collimated jet appearing as the anti-tail in the direction of the Sun both before and after perihelion. Observations from December 15, 2025, show the jet collimated to within 8 degrees out to a distance of half a million kilometers, which he considers another highly unlikely occurrence.
Loeb poses the question: What natural process could create such a tightly focused anti-tail jet directed towards the Sun both before and after the object's closest approach to the sun?
