NASA has recently released a concerning update about an object racing towards Earth at high speed. This object, identified as 3I/ATLAS, has been observed through the Hubble Space Telescope, capturing the clearest images ever taken of this mysterious "interstellar object" as it continues its journey into the inner solar system.

First discovered on July 1, 3I/ATLAS was initially found to be 420 million miles from the Sun. Since then, scientists have tracked its unprecedented speed of 130,000 miles per hour (209,000 km/h), making it the fastest interstellar object ever detected by astronomers.

Originally, researchers at the Vera C. Rubin Observatory estimated the object’s size to be roughly seven miles wide. However, new data has led to a revision in its size, suggesting that it could be as small as 1,000 feet (320 meters) across, or as large as 3.5 miles (5.6 kilometers). Despite this recalculation, 3I/ATLAS still holds the title of the largest interstellar object ever discovered, potentially up to 14 times larger than the next biggest known visitor from another star system.

In a surprising turn, Harvard physicist Avi Loeb has raised suspicions that 3I/ATLAS might not be a natural object at all. In a recent blog post on Medium, Loeb proposed that the object could potentially be an alien spacecraft, even suggesting that it might reach Earth "by Christmas."

A study published by Harvard University scientists in July 2025 has fueled these concerns further. The study concludes with a sobering analysis of the object’s potential collision implications, stating that "the consequences, should the hypothesis turn out to be correct, could potentially be dire for humanity, and would possibly require defensive measures to be undertaken," though these measures might "prove futile." The study, titled Is the Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS Alien Technology?, examines the movement patterns of the object and speculates that it could be "technological, and possibly hostile."

Despite the alarm raised by some, the true origins of the comet remain a subject of uncertainty among NASA experts. Dr. David Jewitt, the Science team leader for the Hubble observations at the University of California, explained, “No one knows where the comet came from. It's like glimpsing a rifle bullet for a thousandth of a second. You can't project that back with any accuracy to figure out where it started on its path."

The object’s extreme velocity relative to the Sun suggests it has been traveling through the cosmos for billions of years. As it passed through stars, planets, and nebulae, gravitational interactions accelerated it further via the "slingshot effect." This process is what explains 3I/ATLAS’s record-breaking speed, as the longer an object drifts through space, the faster it becomes.

As of now, the astronomical community will have to wait for more data, with November or early December being crucial periods for further observations. The study concludes by stating, "By far the most likely outcome will be that 3I/ATLAS is a completely natural interstellar object, probably a comet, and the authors await the astronomical data to support this likely origin."

While the idea of a potentially hostile or artificial origin raises many questions, it’s still too early to draw definitive conclusions. However, 3I/ATLAS's passage through our solar system continues to capture the attention of scientists worldwide.