By Samuel Lopez, USA Herald
The interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, now moving toward its October 29 perihelion, has become the latest flashpoint where science, speculation, and philosophy collide. It’s not just a question of astronomy; it’s a question of belief, evidence, and how we, as humans, decide what to take seriously when the sky sends us something we’ve never seen before.
Carl Sagan’s maxim — “extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence” — has long been the scientific gold standard for skepticism. It reminds us that remarkable ideas need equally remarkable proof. Yet, in the courtroom of law, the standard of evidence is far lower. Judges and juries often decide life-altering matters on a preponderance of the evidence — that is, something being more likely than not to be true. The difference between the two worlds — science and law — may determine how we respond to the mystery of 3I/ATLAS.
At this moment, the public seems to hold four distinct positions about the object. Some view it as a scientific marvel worthy of study; others see it as an unknown anomaly that defies explanation. A few, like Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb, believe there’s a non-zero chance it could be alien technology — possibly even a mothership releasing probes. And many people, perhaps the majority, don’t care at all.
