A 'hostile' alien spacecraft could be slated to attack the planet in November, claims a controversial new study.
A small group of scientists have said that a mysterious intergalactic object might pose a threat. "The consequences, should the hypothesis turn out to be correct, could potentially be dire for humanity," they wrote in the paper published on July 16.
What is the hostile alien spacecraft?
They are speaking of 3I/ATLAS, an interstellar entity discovered on July 1. The object is moving towards the sun at 130,000 mph, Live Science reported. It was confirmed as an interstellar object less than 24 hours later, and initial observations suggested it could be a comet measuring up to 15 meters in diameter -- which would make it larger than Manhattan. Scientists speaking to the publication, however, have dismissed the findings of this inflammatory paper.
The trio, there, suggest that this object might be a piece of alien spy technology. Among them is Avi Loeb, the Harvard astrophysicist who has a reputation for linking extraterrestrial objects to alien life. He had earlier posited in 2017 that interstellar object ʻOumuamua might be an artificial alien recon probe, based on its shape and acceleration.
For the 2025 study, Loeb collaborated with Adam Hibberd and Adam Crowl of the Initiative for Interstellar Studies in London, positing that 3I/ATLAS’s trajectory suggests an alien origin as well. As per the trio, the object's speed -- significantly faster than that of ʻOumuamua and other objects-- coupled with the fact that it entered our solar system from a different angle than its predecessors offer "various benefits to an extraterrestrial intelligence," Loeb wrote in a blog post.
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{{/usCountry}}For the 2025 study, Loeb collaborated with Adam Hibberd and Adam Crowl of the Initiative for Interstellar Studies in London, positing that 3I/ATLAS’s trajectory suggests an alien origin as well. As per the trio, the object's speed -- significantly faster than that of ʻOumuamua and other objects-- coupled with the fact that it entered our solar system from a different angle than its predecessors offer "various benefits to an extraterrestrial intelligence," Loeb wrote in a blog post.
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{{/usCountry}}As per Loeb, 3I/ATLAS will make close approaches to Mars, Jupiter, and Venus, which could allow aliens to sneakily plant spy 'gadgets' there.
Then, when this supposed undercover UFO reaches its closest to the Sun (perihelion) in late November, it will be hidden from earth's view.
"This could be intentional to avoid detailed observations from Earth-based telescopes when the object is brightest or when gadgets are sent to Earth from that hidden vantage point," Loeb said.
If this anomaly turns out to be a 'technological artifiact' it could support the dark forest hypothesis, which argues that humans have not found signs of extraterrestrial entities yet because they remain undercover to shield themselves from predators or prey. Loeb has also warned that an attack is likely and would 'possibly require defensive measures to be undertaken.'
Given that the 3I/ATLAS is travelling too fast for an Earth-based spacecraft to intercept it before it exits the solar system, "It is therefore impractical for earthlings to land on 3I/ATLAS at closest approach by boarding chemical rockets, since our best rockets reach at most a third of that speed," Loeb wrote.
Meanwhile, the paper -- yet to be peer reviewed -- has been panned by some scientists, with Loeb himself admitting in the blog that the alien spy probe theory is a bit far-fetched. "By far, the most likely outcome will be that 3I/ATLAS is a completely natural interstellar object, probably a comet," he noted.