Extraordinary 14-Billion-Year-Old Age Claim Surrounds 3I/ATLAS But Evidence Remains Elusive As Anomalies Persist

Among those behaviors are unusual jet geometries, anti-tail structures that appear misaligned with expected solar radiation pressure, intermittent brightness pulsations, and non-gravitational accelerations that cannot be fully explained by simple outgassing alone. Thermal signatures have fluctuated in ways that suggest heterogeneous composition or layered internal structures, while ultraviolet halo behavior has appeared inconsistent with known comet analogs.

Observations conducted using the James Webb Space Telescope have added another layer of intrigue, identifying an unexpected richness in carbon dioxide and metallic emissions, including nickel and iron. Such chemistry hints at a formation environment radically different from that of typical Solar System comets, reinforcing its status as a true interstellar interloper. Yet even these findings stop well short of proving age, origin, or artificiality.

It is also worth noting what has not happened. On December 19, 2025, 3I/ATLAS made its closest known approach to Earth. No impact event occurred. No dramatic fragmentation was recorded. For many observers, that moment brought a sense of relief. But relief should not be confused with resolution. The object did not stop behaving anomalously simply because it passed us safely.