It flew too close to the Sun.<\/p>\n
Manhattan-sized comet 3I\/ATLAS allegedly executed an unusual maneuver while approaching the Sun earlier this week, fueling theories that it could be an extraterrestrial spacecraft.<\/p>\n
In a recent blog post, Harvard scientist Avi Loeb<\/a> cited a report from NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory<\/a>, which he claimed provided the \u201cfirst evidence\u201d of a \u201cnon-gravitational acceleration\u201d by the celestial body.<\/p>\n It reportedly displayed said behavior while approaching its closet point to our solar star in a phenomenon known as a perihelion.<\/p>\n Manhattan-sized comet 3I\/ATLAS allegedly displayed signs of \u201cnon-gravitational acceleration\u201d while approaching the Sun earlier this week, fueling theories that it could be an extraterrestrial spacecraft. NASA<\/p>\n Loeb theorized that ATLAS\u2019 (pictured) \u201cnon-gravitational acceleration might be the technological signature of an internal engine.\u201d AP<\/p>\n Loeb noted that while most comets get a slight boost when their ice turns to gas and spouts out like a jet \u2014 an event known as the \u201crocket effect\u201d \u2014 3I\/ATLAS was showing way more zip than expected during its approach.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the JPL readings showed that the so-called comet followed two bizarre-seeming trajectories: one that pulled it away from the Sun and another that nudged it to the side.<\/p>\n Loeb claimed that the \u201cnon-gravitational acceleration might be the technological signature of an internal engine,\u201d which also might explain ATLAS\u2019 bizarre change in pigment while nearing our solar system\u2019s light source.<\/p>\n Loeb found it peculiar that ATLAS grew brighter and bluer upon its approach to the Sun (pictured). lukszczepanski \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n ATLAS had reportedly been growing much brighter \u2014 and bluer \u2014 than typical as it reached perihelion.<\/p>\n This stands in stark contrast to most comets, which turn red during their solar visits because their surface is so cold that they absorb blue light and bounce back mostly red light \u2014 much like how cold metal glows red when heated.<\/p>\n Loeb speculated that the blue hue \u201ccould be a signature of ionized carbon monoxide or a hot engine,\u201d although he noted that it could also be an indication that 3I\/ATLAS is burning off a large amount of ice during its approach, the Daily Mail reported.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe non-gravitational acceleration could be a result of cometary evaporation or technological propulsion,\u201d the professor told the outlet.<\/p>\n Loeb has called these latest readings the ninth anomaly showcased by 3I\/ATLAS, which is the third known interstellar object to enter our solar system.<\/p>\n Other characteristics that seem to defy comet behavior include an anti-tail \u2014 a jet of particles that points toward the Sun instead of away from it as is typical \u2014 and the fact that the entity was flying suspiciously close to Jupiter, Venus and Mars.<\/p>\n