New Image of 3I/ATLAS Reveals Activity And Geometry Not Previously Seen From This Perspective

In recent days, online speculation has surged around the idea that 3I/ATLAS could experience a dramatic trajectory change once it approaches Jupiter’s Hill radius, potentially allowing it to swing around the gas giant and re-enter the inner solar system on a path toward Earth. There is currently no observational or orbital data supporting such a scenario. Its present trajectory is well constrained, hyperbolic, and consistent with an interstellar origin that will carry it outward again after its planetary encounters.

However, from a defensive and predictive modeling standpoint, the question is not whether such a maneuver is occurring—but whether it is physically plausible in principle.

Jupiter’s Hill sphere defines the region where the planet’s gravity dominates over the Sun’s. An object passing through that region can indeed experience significant gravitational deflection. This is not hypothetical; it is the same mechanism used intentionally in planetary flybys. But for an object like 3I/ATLAS, the degree of deflection depends on approach distance, relative velocity, and encounter geometry.