The comet will make its closest approach to Earth on December 19, passing at about 167 million miles.
Astronomer Qicheng Zhang of Arizona’s Lowell Observatory, a coauthor of a preprint study on the object, has expressed frustration with circulating misinformation.
“A large fraction of the misinformation I’ve seen can be directly traced back to [Avi Loeb] misinterpreting or not fully reading the data,” Zhang told Popular Science. Loeb, a Harvard astrophysicist, has often linked unexplained cosmic events to “alien technology.”
31/ATLAS Awe Without Aliens
Researchers stress that 3I/ATLAS is extraordinary even without extraterrestrial speculation. The comet exhibits unusual behaviors because “weird things are what comets do,” Zhang said. “Maybe it will inspire more interest in understanding them better.”
New studies indicate that cosmic radiation has altered the structure of 3I/ATLAS, building on growing scientific insight into interstellar objects.
Are We in a Solitude Zone? Probably Not
While Earth is not in a strict Solitude Zone, the new research suggests that multiple lifeforms at comparable technological levels may exist elsewhere. As many scientists point out, advanced civilizations likely do not resemble humans—nor would they be found on an object like 31/ATLAS.
