Hubble Image Shows 3I/ATLAS Exhibiting Sustained Activity That Defies Comet Breakdown Models

The interstellar origin of the object strengthens this possibility. Formed around another star under different temperature, pressure, and radiation conditions, 3I/ATLAS may contain materials or structural arrangements unfamiliar to solar-system science. Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb has previously argued that interstellar objects should be evaluated without assuming they conform to local norms. This image reinforces that caution.

From a planetary-defense perspective, the implications are non-trivial. Objects that maintain internal cohesion and sustained activity behave differently under gravitational and thermal stress. As observatories like the Vera Rubin Observatory begin detecting more interstellar visitors, understanding these behaviors becomes essential not only for science, but for risk assessment.

What can be stated with confidence is this: 3I/ATLAS is not simply falling apart. It is not passively eroding. It is responding to its environment in a structured, sustained way that challenges existing classification models.