3I/Atlas keeps the scientific community on alert, as it continues to show unusual behaviors that distance it from what is expected from a conventional comet. Even some researchers do not rule out the possibility that it is a structure of non-terrestrial origin.
A trajectory that confounds and revives theories
Astrophysicist Avi Loeb recently proposed a hypothesis that 3I/Atlas could have changed its trajectory, since according to his approach, he initially indicated that the object was aligned towards the Earth, which fueled speculation about the possible release of alien probes.
Based on this observation, Loeb recently posed a key question: “Do the 3I/Atlas jets beat like a heart?”suggesting that its emission could be periodic and not a simple random phenomenon.
The “pulse” of the object: a clue that changes the analysis
According to Loeb, since its detection on July 1, 2025, The brightness of 3I/Atlas has shown rhythmic variations or beats every little more than 16 hours. At first glance, this fluctuation was attributed to the shape of the nucleus, but new observations indicate that that explanation does not fit.
Images obtained by the Hubble Space Telescope reveal that almost all of the luminosity comes from a diffuse cloud that surrounds the main body. This type of halo is so transparent that it allows the nucleus to be seen, although its actual size has not been precisely defined.
“However, it is presumed that the brightest pixel in the image overlaps with the core and it contains a small fraction of the total light,” highlights Loeb.
The big question is then why the light varies so much if the nucleus contributes so little, to which Loeb indicates that the most recent images show several jets coming out of the object, and if they expel material periodically, they would generate a visual effect similar to that of a heartbeat: The cloud expands and contracts constantly.
“In the context of a natural comet, this may arise from a sunward jet (antitail) that is initiated only when a large ice pack on one side of the nucleus is facing the Sun. As a result, the tail will inflate whenever the ice pack is facing the Sun. This resembles a heartbeat with a puff of gas and dust acting like a stream of “blood.” through the coma periodically during the 16.16 hour rotation period.”
The “beats” that Avi Loeb refers to would be, in simple terms, rhythmic changes in the brightness or activity of the jets leaving 3I/Atlas.
In a purely natural interpretation, this would occur when an icy area of the comet receives sunlight and releases gas and dust only when it rotates towards the star; However, the professor points out that If 3I/Atlas were an artificial structure, the “beat” could come from a mechanism oriented in any direction, without direct relationship with the Sun.
“In the case of a technological object, the direction of the pulsating jet could be arbitrary and not necessarily point towards the Sun.”
For Loeb, a sequence of continuous images would allow both possibilities to be distinguished. If the pattern always points towards the Sun, it would be a common physical behavior. If not, the conversation would take a very different turn.
