The Question of Level 5
Understanding what it would take for 3I/ATLAS to climb from Level 4 to Level 5 requires grasping what separates potential anomaly from suspected technology. Level 5, classified as “Suspected Passive Technology,” demands evidence that goes beyond statistical oddities and enters the realm of characteristics that natural objects simply don’t display.
The criteria are specific and stringent. To achieve Level 5, 3I/ATLAS would need to exhibit unusual speed inconsistent with natural origins, surface composition that doesn’t match what cosmic radiation should have done to it over its journey, or most tellingly, substantial acceleration without any visible cometary activity — essentially, changing course without a visible means of propulsion.
The Loeb Scale: Astronomical Classification of Interstellar Objects
Level 5: “Unusual speed. Strong, persistent indicators of artificial, non-operational origin. Surface composition inconsistent with cosmic-ray bombardment for implied age or velocity. Absence of cometary activity despite substantial non-gravitational acceleration.” Omer Eldadi, Gershon Tenenbaum and Abraham Loeb
Think of it like this: Level 4 is when you notice your neighbor’s dog can do calculus. Level 5 is when you realize it’s typing the equations on a keyboard.
Currently, 3I/ATLAS shows some cometary activity, which actually works against a Level 5 classification. NASA officials have stated that the object “looks and behaves like a comet, and all evidence points to it being a comet.” Yet the specific nature of that activity — weak, chemically unusual, and not quite matching expected patterns — keeps the door open for continued observation and analysis.
