(MENAFN) Astronomers are closely monitoring a newly discovered interstellar object, 3I/ATLAS, notable for its incredible speed, massive size, and an unusual path through our solar system. Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb has proposed the possibility that this object could be an alien probe, intensifying interest in its origin and nature.

As ScienceDaily reported Wednesday, 3I/ATLAS marks only the third recorded instance of an object entering our solar system from beyond. It is traveling at an extraordinary velocity of 152,235 miles (245,000 kilometers) per hour and could measure up to 12 miles (20 kilometers) across. The report further suggested that the object might even predate the formation of the sun.

In a recent paper uploaded to the arXiv preprint server titled, “Is the Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS Alien Technology?”, Loeb focused on the object’s atypical orbit, which closely approaches Venus, Mars, and Jupiter.

“The alignment is intriguing,” Loeb said, drawing a parallel to 1I/ʻOumuamua, the first known interstellar visitor discovered in 2017. Loeb has previously suggested that 1I/ʻOumuamua might have been an artificial spacecraft.

While spacecraft like Voyager and Pioneer have exited the solar system, Loeb argued that it is conceivable that advanced extraterrestrial civilizations could have sent probes beyond their own star systems.

He explained that identifying alien probes would depend on detecting indicators such as radio signals, propulsion systems, or trajectories directed toward Earth’s habitable zone.

At present, 3I/ATLAS remains an enigmatic and exceptionally fast traveler from deep space. “Objects like 3I/ATLAS remind us that space is vast, strange, and full of surprises,” Loeb remarked, emphasizing the urgency to enhance our observational capabilities and deepen our cosmic understanding.

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