Summary: NASA has released images showing surface features of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, but Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb says they do not resolve anomalies such as the object's large size, unusual chemical signatures and surface jets. Loeb argues the photos reveal only a superficial "skin" of ices and dust that could coat an engineered craft. He expects a decisive surge of observations by the object's close approach on Dec. 19, when it will be about 170 million miles from Earth. Michio Kaku counters that the object's great age (about 7 billion years) likely explains its oddities.
Loeb: NASA Images Don’t Close the Case on Mysterious Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS
Summary: NASA has released images showing surface features of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, but Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb says they do not resolve anomalies such as the object's large size, unusual chemical signatures and surface jets. Loeb argues the photos reveal only a superficial "skin" of ices and dust that could coat an engineered craft. He expects a decisive surge of observations by the object's close approach on Dec. 19, when it will be about 170 million miles from Earth. Michio Kaku counters that the object's great age (about 7 billion years) likely explains its oddities.
11:27 AM, 11/20/2025Science
NASA released new images of the interstellar visitor known as 3I/ATLAS and described it as an unusual comet, but Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb says the photos do not resolve lingering questions about the object's origin.
Surface photos may show only a "skin"
Speaking on "Elizabeth Vargas Reports," Loeb reiterated his view that 3I/ATLAS could be artificial and urged patience: "Let's wait and see. Bureaucrats or unimaginative scientists want us to accept the expected, but the rest of us know the best is yet to come." He argues the images reveal only a superficial outer layer — "the 'skin' of the object — some ices and perhaps some dust that evaporates when the sun illuminates that surface" — and do not address deeper anomalies.
What Loeb highlights
Loeb has pointed to several puzzling features that he says remain unexplained: the object's unusually large estimated size compared with typical interstellar visitors, atypical chemical signatures, and the presence of jets erupting from its surface. He notes that even an engineered object traveling through the interstellar medium would accumulate ices and dust over billions of years, creating an apparent coma that could mask its true nature.
When we might know more
Loeb expects a surge of observational data as 3I/ATLAS makes its close approach to Earth on Dec. 19, when it will be roughly 170 million miles away. "I would say by Dec. 19 we would have enough data. There would be a flood of data that would tell us what this object is," he said, predicting that upcoming measurements could be decisive.
Alternative explanation from Michio Kaku
Theoretical physicist Michio Kaku offered a conventional explanation: age. He suggested that at an estimated 7 billion years old, 3I/ATLAS has had ample time to collect varied ices and gases and to experience many environments, which could account for its unusual appearance and activity. "Over 7 billion years, it's had plenty of time to accumulate different gases, different elements, different kinds of environments that it goes into," Kaku said.
Why the debate matters
Scientists remain divided because the current images and measurements do not yet provide a complete picture of the object's composition, structure, or the mechanisms behind its jets. Observatories worldwide are expected to intensify monitoring through the December close approach, using spectroscopy, light-curve analysis and high-resolution imaging to test competing hypotheses.
Bottom line: NASA's images add useful surface detail but do not settle whether 3I/ATLAS is a natural comet or something more unusual; more data expected around Dec. 19 should sharpen the picture.