Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb told Newsmax on Thursday that the interstellar object known as 3I/ATLAS has exhibited unexpected behavior, including an increase in brightness and a shift to a bluer hue, while raising concerns that key images taken during the object's Mars fly‐by have yet to be released by NASA.
On "Finnerty," Loeb said that "as of this morning, we have a report that the object got much brighter than expected, much brighter than any previous comet from the solar system did as it approached the sun's perihelion, so to speak."
He added: "Moreover, the color of the object is blue, bluer than the sun. And that's very surprising, because usually when there is dust around an object, it should make it red.
"And we expect the surface temperature of the object to be an order of magnitude lower than the surface temperature of the sun, which is 5,800 degrees above absolute zero. So the object should be much cooler than the sun, therefore redder than the sun."
"Nevertheless, the data shows that it's bluer than the sun, meaning a very high temperature. Perhaps a power supply that exceeds what we expect, or some physics that we don't fully understand.
"Why would it be bluer than the sun?"
"It seems like it's even more weird than I thought. The blue color is something we need to understand. Haven't had time to figure out the physics behind it," he said.
He noted that science teams are closely monitoring developments to see what happens after Oct. 29.
When asked why high-resolution Mars-fly‐by photos taken by NASA on Oct. 2 haven't been released, Loeb replied: "Yeah. In fact, this is exactly the comment that Joe Rogan made on my appearance in his podcast a couple of days ago. You can check it out.
"He said, 'You should reach [Transportation Secretary] Sean Duffy.' And you know, I'm doing my best. ... You know, this is not good scientific behavior."
In response to a question about the odds this might be intelligent life rather than a comet, Loeb said: "I think with the blue color, it's now a bit above four [on a scale of 10], but I need to think about the physics behind it.
"It's really surprising, and it's much brighter. It's getting much brighter, much faster than any solar system comet before."
Loeb's remarks reflect the growing intrigue surrounding 3I/ATLAS, which was first detected this past July and is the third known interstellar object to pass through our solar system.
Although mainstream scientists caution that 3I/ATLAS behaves consistently with a natural comet, Loeb maintains that the unexpected brightness, blue coloration, and data‐release delays warrant further scrutiny.
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Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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