Study Suggests Possible Hostile Alien Object Approaching Solar System

A newly discovered interstellar object named 3I/ATLAS, roughly the size of Manhattan or Galway, has sparked a controversial scientific debate after a draft paper proposed it could be a hostile alien spacecraft preparing to attack Earth in November. The paper, authored by Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb along with Adam Hibberd and Adam Crowl from the Initiative for Interstellar Studies, suggests the object's unusual trajectory—passing close to Venus, Mars, and Jupiter—and its hidden approach near the Sun in late November could enable a covert maneuver to slow down and remain in the Solar System undetected. While the authors emphasize their hypothesis is speculative and not necessarily their belief, they argue the object's behavior is statistically improbable for a natural object and warrants international monitoring and collaboration. The study has reignited public and scientific interest in extraterrestrial intelligence, although NASA and other space agencies have not confirmed any credible threat. This controversy follows Loeb's previous claims that the 2017 interstellar object 'Oumuamua may have been an artificial probe. Overall, the looming November timeline has prompted authorities to closely observe the object's path, balancing caution with the need for preparedness.