Interstellar object 3I/Atlas might be accompanied by a probe moving ahead of it, which can take a detour and enter Mars. Harvard scientist Avi Loeb has claimed that this strange object is not moving alone through our solar system. He says “a precursor mini-probe” can reach Mars when the “mothership” comes at its closest distance to “the complete path of Mars around the Sun.” This will happen sometime in October, when the object will be only 2.7 million kilometres from the red planet. Loeb says this itself is a “remarkable fine-tuning” of the path, since, on October 3, it will be 29 million kilometres from Mars. This means that during its entire sojourn with the planet, it will reduce this distance considerably. He cites this extreme cut down in distance as another clue that points to 3I/Atlas not being a natural space rock. In fact, the way it is moving shows that something sinister is at play. How else do you explain closing the distance by such a huge margin?

A secret invisible probe is travelling with 3I/Atlas, Loeb says

This brings us to his more intriguing hypothesis that there is another body travelling with 3I/Atlas that we cannot see from Earth. The interstellar object is turning towards Mars to plant a probe on the planet. Loeb has calculated that if such a probe exists, then it is travelling ahead of the main body. But it is not moving in a straight line, and is on a sideways trajectory which would take it to Mars. If this is true, then this precursor probe can intercept Mars on October 3, 2025 or during the week before it. “If 3I/ATLAS is a technological object, this short MOID (Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance) makes it easy for a precursor mini-probe to reach Mars,” he wrote. So why haven’t we seen it yet? Webb, Hubble, and no other telescopes have spotted a partner with 3I/Atlas. Loeb explains that this is because it is extremely tiny. He wrote in his blog that this object is likely smaller than a hundred meters, and near-Earth telescopes cannot detect the reflection of sunlight from such precursor objects.

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Loeb has a way to detect this secret friend that 3I/Atlas has. He suggests using the HiRISE camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to check for the probe that he thinks can be sent to Mars by the intelligent “alien” visitors. The window for this opens on October 3, when HiRISE will be able to image 3I/ATLAS with a resolution of 30 kilometres per pixel. Besides, it can also image the nucleus and dust cloud of 3I/ATLAS, which he also says cannot be from a comet, citing data from the James Webb Telescope.

Alien attack on Earth in November?

Loeb has raised the possibility that 3I/Atlas could be an alien civilisation coming to either observe Earth or attack us. In both cases, he says we need to be ready. He has called on world leaders to come together and prepare a common plan to deal with the potential threat the interstellar visitor might pose. However, the rest of the scientific community does not agree with him. Meanwhile, 3I/Atlas is getting more mysterious every day as fresh observations are made.

3I/ATLAS speed and 3I/ATLAS age

3I/ATLAS is moving at a speed of 209,000 km/hr, that is it covers 60 kilometres in one second. Scientists have calculated the age of the interstellar visitor, pegging it to be around seven billion years old. In comparison, our solar system is a little older than four billion years.

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