Speculation about the object’s ancient origins collides with limited data, while months of unresolved behavior continue to defy classical models.
[USA HERALD] – A bold claim has once again pushed interstellar object 3I/ATLAS into the public spotlight, with suggestions that it may be billions of years old—possibly older than our Sun itself. The estimate, led by astronomer Michele Bannister and her investigative team, has sparked fascination, headlines, and renewed debate. But a careful review of what is actually known versus what is being inferred tells a more restrained, and arguably more compelling, story.
At present, there has been no validation, confirmation, or independent verification of any precise age for 3I/ATLAS. That limitation is not a matter of academic disagreement—it is a matter of physics, access, and evidence. Dating an object with any degree of confidence typically requires material sampling or, at minimum, high-resolution spectral data capable of isolating isotopic ratios or decay products. In this case, scientists have neither. What we possess instead are distant, low-resolution images and indirect velocity measurements gathered from Earth-based surveys and space telescopes operating at extreme ranges.
