Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, the third known visitor arriving from beyond our system, continues moving through our cosmic neighborhood while leaving in its wake a mixture of organic compounds and new mysteries that have caught experts’ attention.
The most recent measurements revealed that this object is releasing key molecules for prebiotic processes, which generated debates surrounding its nature. Although theories suggesting a possible artificial origin emerged on social media, NASA was very clear on the matter: the object is a comet.
The agency explained that “no signals have been detected suggesting engineering, propulsion systems, or patterns indicating manufacture” and that its behavior matches that of an icy body subjected to solar heat.
One of the most revealing observations comes from the ALMA observatory in Chile. Recently, 3I/ATLAS was detected expelling extremely high levels of methanol (CH₃OH) and hydrogen cyanide (HCN), surpassed only by the peculiar comet C/2016 R2.
Between August and October 2025, the team recorded a notable increase in methanol when the object crossed the region where water ice begins to sublimate, at about two astronomical units from the Sun. The CH₃OH/HCN ratios—124 and 79—place this comet among the richest in organic compounds ever studied. Although these results are impressive, researchers clarify that the presence of methanol cannot be considered a biological signature on its own, as it can form without the participation of living organisms.
Even so, the comet’s chemistry makes it an exceptional witness to the processes occurring in other planetary systems and a possible tool for reconstructing its place of origin.
Orbital analysis suggests it comes from an aged system, which implies that its composition preserves traces from an era prior to the birth of our own solar system.
Data from the James Webb telescope also provide clues. Its readings indicate an unusual relationship between carbon dioxide and water, suggesting that 3I/ATLAS may have formed in an outer region exposed to intense radiation within a mature system. This makes it an ideal example for comparing how interstellar ice evolves in environments different from our own.
Similarly, it was revealed that a recent adjustment to NASA’s models significantly reduced the comet’s non-gravitational acceleration. As a consequence, the prediction of the approach to Jupiter moved its trajectory toward a distance slightly greater than the planet’s Hill radius. However, some researchers warn that the brightness changes observed near perihelion could indicate that sublimation was stronger than the model assumes. If the actual curve behaves more sharply, the encounter on March 16, 2026, could realign with that gravitational boundary.
That precise coincidence caught the scientific community’s attention, as the probabilities of it occurring naturally are extremely low. If confirmed, the close pass by Jupiter could generate unexpected effects, such as temporary captures of fragments or the deposition of small blocks in gravitational equilibrium zones.
What is certain is that, although some theorists raised more speculative hypotheses, there is currently no data supporting the idea of hidden technological structures.
Experts agree that the comet’s actual trajectory will be defined with certainty as the encounter date approaches.
Why Some Experts Believe 3I/ATLAS Is Much More Than a Simple Comet
Comet 3I/ATLAS became the subject of speculation due to a series of highly unusual characteristics that defy conventional explanations. Its anomalies include an exceptionally large non-gravitational acceleration that cannot be fully justified by normal ice outgassing (the “rocket effect”), which would require an implausible mass loss.
Additionally, its chemical composition is atypical, showing unusual levels of carbon dioxide and nickel compared to other elements, suggesting it formed in a very different chemical environment and with an estimated age of up to 7 billion years or more, making it older than the Solar System itself.
All of the above, combined with its unusual extra thrust, the absence of a large gas cloud that would justify the acceleration, or the jet of material (anti-tail) pointing toward the Sun, led some scientists, such as astrophysicist Avi Loeb, to consider more speculative hypotheses, suggesting we could be facing a structure of artificial or technological origin.
The truth is that, following NASA’s press conference, this hypothesis has been completely ruled out; however, experts emphasize that, coming from outside the Solar System, we are facing a celestial body that behaves in a unique and anomalous way. Research and the release of images will continue as new data is obtained.
