POLITICS

3I/ATLAS: Dubbed the ‘Trojan horse’ of extraterrestrial technology; it could masquerade as a comet

10/13/2025
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According to astrophysicist Avi Loeb, there is a 30 to 40 percent chance that the interstellar object is not of natural origin.

Renowned scientist Avi Loeb warned that the interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS approaching Earth could be a «Trojan horse,» as the technological object could be masquerading as a comet.

The Harvard professor, who has been monitoring the 3I/ATLAS since its discovery in July, stated on Wednesday, October 8, that there is a 30 to 40 percent chance that the object «does not have a completely natural origin.»

«We do not know the amount of traffic from extraterrestrial probes in the vicinity of the Solar System. Given the uncertainty, it would be prudent to collect as much data as possible on interstellar objects from all directions and assess their level of risk,» the scientist explained in a blog post.

The object, a strange visitor from outside the Solar System, is unusually large and closely aligned with the plane of the planets, which made it visible to probes orbiting Mars over the weekend.

NASA’s rover on Mars captured images of 3I/ATLAS, which appeared to be a massive cylindrical object, giving rise to new theories about extraterrestrial technology.

Astronomy enthusiasts shared images of the object on social media, showing the interstellar visitor with a greenish glow.

Avi Loeb analyzed the photos taken by the Perseverance rover, calculating its distance, speed, and camera settings. Based on his initial study, the astrophysicist is not convinced that 3I/ATLAS be a massive cylindrical object, noting that the strange shape could be due to an effect of the rover’s camera stretching it. He explained that the apparent cylinder in the rover’s navigation camera is probably due to the shot stacking hundreds of images of

3I/ATLAS

for a period of approximately 10 minutes, giving it the appearance of a log rather than a ball.

Why could 3I/ATLAS be a Trojan horse?

According to Loeb, 3I/ATLAS does not have the shape of a normal comet. After looking at images from the Very Large Telescope, he noted that he detected an unusual column of nickel coming from the object. Unlike natural comets, which always emit nickel along with iron,

3I/ATLAS shows the metallic element with no detectable iron. «Is this anomaly another clue about the possible technological origin of 3I/ATLAS?» Loeb wrote in a blog post.

3I/ATLAS shows the metallic element with no detectable iron. «Is this anomaly another clue to the possible technological origin of 3I/ATLAS?» Loeb wrote in a blog post.

Like the Trojan horse of Greek mythology, there are fears that comet 3I/ATLAS is an unnatural object of extraterrestrial technology masquerading as a comet, but in reality, it harbors some kind of threat to life on Earth that will be released when it approaches the planet in December.

Let us remember that in Greek mythology, the Trojan horse was a trap set by the Greek army during the Trojan War, involving the construction of a giant wooden horse that concealed Greek soldiers inside. When the structure was brought into the city, the soldiers waited hidden inside until nightfall, when they came out, opened the gates, and allowed their comrades to enter, leading to the fall of Greece.