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A newly discovered “quasi-moon” orbiting near Earth, named 2025 PN7, is drawing global attention—not just for its rarity, but for a bold theory linking it to the interstellar comet C/2025 P1 (ATLAS) also known as comet 31. Some scientists even suspect it could be an alien probe.

While most astronomers believe the object is a naturally captured asteroid, Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb has proposed a startling alternative: that it might be an artificial alien probe sent to observe our planet.

A Celestial Mystery: 2025 PNZ Captivates Scientists

The discovery coincides with NASA’s tracking of Comet C/2025 P1 (ATLAS), a visitor from beyond our Solar System traveling at hyperbolic speeds. According to NASA, the comet poses no threat to Earth and will pass about 170 million miles away around October 30, 2025, just inside the orbit of Mars.

Loeb, known for his unconventional yet data-driven perspectives, argues that 3I/ATLAS (as the comet is also designated) might represent more than just a natural rock. In a recent IBTimes report, Loeb suggested it could be “an alien mothership capable of controlled propulsion.”

Avi Loeb’s Alien probe Theory

“Humanity’s recorded history—barely 8,000 years—is insignificant compared to the 13.8-billion-year age of the Milky Way,” Loeb explained. “In that vast timespan, intelligent life likely evolved long before us.”

Loeb’s theory suggests that advanced extraterrestrial civilizations might see humans as a “baby civilization” and may choose to observe rather than contact us directly. He hypothesizes that these civilizations could have placed monitoring devices—like 2025 PN7—within our cosmic neighborhood.

The Strange Orbit of 2025 PN7

Astronomers at the Pan-STARRS Observatory in Hawaii discovered 2025 PN7 on August 29, 2025. Researchers believe this quasi-moon has been orbiting Earth for about 60 years and will remain in our gravitational influence for another six decades.

At roughly the size of a small office building, 2025 PN7 is far too small to affect tides or gravity on Earth. It is the seventh known quasi-satellite—a rare class of space objects that orbit the Sun but appear to hover around Earth due to gravitational interactions.

Despite its seemingly harmless behavior, Loeb’s curiosity persists. “Only data and evidence can reveal its true origin,” he emphasized.

Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Blasts a Massive Jet Toward the Sun in Stunning Telescope Image - USA Herald

NASA and the Hunt for An Alien Probe 

NASA scientists are simultaneously tracking Comet 3I/ATLAS, the third interstellar object ever detected—following ‘Oumuamua in 2017 and 2I/Borisov in 2019. Observations from the Hubble Space Telescope suggest its nucleus measures between 1,444 feet and 3.5 miles in diameter.

According to IBTimes, Loeb believes that “countless interstellar objects like 3I/ATLAS have passed through our Solar System long before humans could record them.”

NASA’s Lucy, Psyche, and Parker Solar Probe missions are among those observing the comet, while Mars rovers Perseverance and Curiosity will monitor from the Red Planet’s surface.

Watching the Watchers 

Whether C/2025 P1 and 2025 PN7 are simple celestial wanderers or signs of something more profound remains uncertain. Still, Loeb’s investigation ensures that the line between science and speculation stays thrillingly thin.

As Loeb put it: “We might be the newcomers in a galaxy that’s been busy for billions of years.”