Comet or ‘Trojan Horse’? 3I/ATLAS at Perihelion set to unravel cosmic mystery

Since the first discovery of 3I/ATLAS on July 1, the interstellar object’s origin and nature has become a center of attention in a scientific community.

On October 29, 2025, the interstellar object will make its closest approach to the sun (203 million kilometres), completing half of its journey as it is hurtling through the solar system.

The existence of 3I/ATLAS at Perihelion will prove an acid test, raising a fundamental question based on intense heating: Is it a natural, icy comet or a “Trojan House”?

If 3I/ATLAS is a natural comet bound together by weak forces, the intense solar heat (770 watts per square meter) can break the object into fragments.

The resulting solar-driven breakage will cause a much brighter comet-based plume of gas and dust, proving its cometary nature.

On the other hand, if 3I/ATLAS was an alien probe or technologically manufactured, it might release mini-probes by using the sun’s maximum gravity for acceleration.

Contrary to other scientists, Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb has consistently claimed 3I/ATLAS as "Trojan Horse.”

Various anomalies exhibited by the object reinforce Loeb’s non-natural hypothesis.

A high abundance of nickel relative to iron in its gas plume, which is highly comparable to industrial nickel alloys supports its non-natural origin.

The newly observed “sunward jet” or anti-tail phenomenon of the object defies its comet nature. Because comets grow tails away from the sun.

Moreover, its unusual trajectory which is aligned with the ecliptic plane and rare, close-passing sequence near Mars, Venus, and Jupiter also dispel natural origin.

According to the professor, there is a 40 percent chance that 3I/ATLAS could be an alien technology.

In a major anomaly, 3I/ATLAS was found to be far more massive than previously expected, bigger than 33 billion tons.

The largest size of the object is equivalent to Manhattan Island and million times more massive than the first interstellar object, 1I/ʻOumuamua, as reported by Loeb.

These possible scenarios will shed light on the true nature of mysterious interstellar objects in the coming months.