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Renowned Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb has just published a jaw-dropping new blog claiming the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS significantly bigger than previous visitors . According to the scientist, the enormous size and unusual features of 3I/ATLAS are so improbable for a natural object that they could be better explained if it were an alien spacecraft. Taking to his blog, Loeb pointed out that the comet has an inferred mass over 50 billiontonnes. He also argued that the object's jets could actually be technological thrusters, suggesting it may be an alien spacecraft rather than a natural comet. " The inferred mass of over 50 billion tons is at least a million times more than the inferred mass of 1I/Oumuamua,” he wrote. He continued: “Why were we so fortunate to receive such a giant object as the third in the list of interstellar objects before witnessing a million objects of the size of 1I/Oumuamua? As I showed in my paper, there is not enough rocky material in interstellar space to accommodate the delivery of such a giant icy rock to the inner solar system over our survey period of a decade." Loeb further explained why he thought 3I/ATLAS an alien spacecraft. He wrote: "If, however, we consider the possibility that the jets emanating from 3I/ATLAS are associated with technological thrusters, then the required mass loss can be 1–2 orders of magnitude smaller with human-made technologies. "Chemical rockets are propelled by an exhaust speed of 3–5 kilometers per second, which is ten times larger than the maximum ejection speed of volatiles sublimated by sunlight from cometary surfaces. “Ion thrusters reach an even higher ejection speed of 10–50 kilometers per second. Furthermore, alien technology might employ thruster with yet higher speeds, reducing the required mass loss by more than 2 orders of magnitude and making the required fuel less than a percent of the mass of the spacecraft." This comes as Loeb warned that 3I/ATLAS might trigger a globally significant "black swan event". The colossal comet has left scientists scratching their heads with its extraordinary size, speed, and a series of bizarre characteristics. Moreover, recent Japanese footage allegedly showing a "large vessel" near the object, alongside rumours that NASA has quietly ramped up its planetary defence, has sent conspiracy theories into overdrive. Loeb, who leads Harvard’s Galileo Project, has identified 10 strange features suggesting the comet might not be natural, warning it could be a “black swan event” with potentially massive consequences if it turns out to be alien technology, the Daily Star previously reported . Adding to this, Loeb warned “we're screwed” if this object comes from a more technologically advanced civilisation. 3I/ATLAS, he says, could represent a “black swan event”. In layman's terms – a rare, high-impact occurrence that is unpredictable but globally significant. Global agencies must stay alert and consider strategies to employ should the comet reveal an artificial origin, he said. For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters .
