3I/ATLAS may be revving an engine, Harvard professor suggests

(NewsNation) — The Harvard astrophysicist who has openly wondered whether presumed comet 3I/ATLAS is an alien vessel is sharing some of his latest observations, including what he calls “non-gravitational acceleration” of the interstellar object.

In other words, is 3I/ATLAS revving an engine as it continues through our solar system?

“There was some propulsion that moved it away from its original trajectory, and I would have expected it would lose 10 to 20% of its mass as a result of the recoil,” Avi Loeb told “Banfield” on Friday.

The prospect of an engine aboard 3I/ATLAS may also explain why the object registered a blue appearance when its orbit recently came closest to the sun, Loeb says. The color could also come from “a source of artificial light,” or the “signature of ionized carbon