Avi Loeb: New 3I/ATLAS Jet Images Challenge Comet Physics

Unprecedented Jet Activity

• 📸 New images from November 11 reveal multiple high-velocity jets erupting from 3I/ATLAS after its perihelion passage.
• ⚠️ These jets exhibit unconventional behavior, including their geometry, strength, and ability to penetrate the solar wind, deepening the mystery of the object.
• 🚀 Some jets are observed pointing sunward, which fundamentally defies the classical thermodynamics of natural cometary outgassing.

Challenging Comet Physics

• ☄️ 3I/ATLAS has consistently defied expectations, showing unexplained acceleration, unusual color changes, and survival of perihelion without losing cohesion.
• 💨 The jets demonstrate high momentum and brightness inconsistent with typical water vapor, suggesting a different expulsion mechanism.
• 🔬 For a natural comet, producing such powerful jets would require billions of tons of mass expelled, far beyond what 3I/ATLAS's estimated size can support.

Potential Explanations

• 💥 One possibility is massive fragmentation, where the object may have broken into multiple pieces, increasing surface area and jet production.
• ⚙️ A more controversial option involves non-thermal or engine-like propulsion, such as electromagnetic discharge, plasma ejection, or internal heating.
• 💡 In a technological scenario, a small mass fraction expelled at high velocity could significantly accelerate a craft, matching the observed propulsive plumes.

Unusual Composition and Structure

• 🔵 The object's blue-green tint, metallic lines, and ion tail suggest ionized nickel and an unusual chemistry, possibly indicating metallic components.
• 🏭 This composition supports the idea that 3I/ATLAS is ancient (7-9 billion years old) and may resemble industrial alloys.
• 🧩 Jets emerging from different angles suggest an irregular, possibly elongated structure with fixed nozzles or vents, resembling a machine's exhaust patterns.

Future Observations and Implications

• 🗓️ The upcoming December 19 closest approach to Earth is critical for determining if 3I/ATLAS fragmented, if jets persist, and if its trajectory deviates.
• 🔭 The images provide unprecedented observational data, highlighting a complex and dynamic phenomenon that challenges existing scientific assumptions.
• 🧠 While not proving a technological origin, these observations teach humility and curiosity, urging scientists to re-examine what the universe presents.