Key Developments
- Independent teams report 3I/ATLAS brightened more than expected around Oct. 29–30 perihelion; Harvard’s Avi Loeb now pegs it “a bit above 4” on his 0–10 Loeb Scale that gauges natural vs. technological origin. The Loeb Scale
- Loeb says the object’s color measured near the Sun appears “blue—bluer than the Sun,” an unusual signature for a dusty comet, and argues fresh data could push the rating higher. newsmax interview
- Mark your calendar: the comet’s closest pass to Earth arrives December 19, 2025 (about 1.8 AU / ~270 million km)—well outside any hazard range.
By Samuel Lopez | USA Herald
USA HERALD – 3I/ATLAS—the third confirmed interstellar visitor to enter our solar system—rounded the Sun at perihelion on Oct. 29–30 and, in doing so, kicked up a new round of scientific debate.
One reason for the renewed attention is its unusual change in color, and how dramatically the object brightened near perihelion. Loeb told Newsmax that a recent report he obtained indicates the object now appears “blue—bluer than the Sun.”
According to Professor Loeb, “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 in order of magnitude, lower than the surface temperature of the Sun, which is 5800 degrees above absolute zero, so the object should be much cooler than the Sun, therefore redder than the Sun.”
Prof. Loeb says, “Nevertheless, the data shows that its bluer than the sun, meaning a very high temperature, perhaps a power-supply that exists, what we expect, or some physics that we don’t fully understand.”
“Why would it be bluer than the Sun” said Loeb.
Avi Loeb reiterated his Loeb Scale—a 0–10 framework for ranking evidence that an interstellar object could be technological rather than natural—and said 3I/ATLAS now sits “a bit above 4,” with that number subject to change as more data rolls in.
On the scale, “0” represents a clearly natural body; “10” is a confirmed technological object posing an existential threat. Loeb stresses that 3I/ATLAS remains most likely natural—but with multiple “anomalies” that merit aggressive data collection.
