3I/ATLAS and the ‘Wow!’ Signal: Avi Loeb Explains the Mystery Behind the Interstellar Visitor | OI Exclusive

Interstellar object 3I/ATLAS will soon reach its closest point to the Sun - and this rare encounter, experts say, could alter the object in several ways. According to Israeli-American astrophysicist and Harvard professor Abraham (Avi) Loeb, 3I/ATLAS is unlike any comet humanity has ever seen.

In an exclusive interview with Oneindia, Loeb breaks down what makes this mysterious visitor so unique, why it's triggering scientific debate worldwide, and what its anomalies might mean for our understanding of the universe - and possibly, our place in it.

Since its discovery on July 1, 2025, 3I/ATLAS has been a subject of intense fascination. It's only the third known interstellar object to enter our Solar System - after 'Oumuamua (2017) and Borisov (2019) - yet Professor Loeb says it's "truly in a class of its own."

3I/ATLAS has already challenged many assumptions about interstellar comets. What, in your view, makes this object truly stand apart from 'Oumuamua and Borisov - and why should the world pay close attention to it?

"Oumuamua was anomalous for different reasons than 3I/ATLAS," Professor Loeb explains. "Borisov had all the characteristics of a familiar comet. As of now, 3I/ATLAS could potentially be a natural comet. But the remote possibility of an Oberth maneuver must be considered seriously as a black swan event - small probability, but huge implications for humanity."

For an overview of its anomalies, see: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2110.15213v1

Eight Anomalies That Defy Explanation

Professor Loeb and his team placed 3I/ATLAS at Rank 4 on the Loeb Scale, a metric used to assess how anomalous a cosmic object is. According to him, eight specific features make 3I/ATLAS stand out from anything ever observed before:

1. Its trajectory aligns within just 5 degrees of the ecliptic plane of our Solar System.
2. It shows a sunward jet (anti-tail) that is real - not an optical illusion.
3. It's a million times more massive than 'Oumuamua and a thousand times more massive than Borisov.
4. It will pass close to Mars, Venus, and Jupiter, yet remain unobservable from Earth at its closest point to the Sun.
5. Its gas plume contains much more nickel than iron, similar to industrially produced nickel alloys.
6. The nickel-to-cyanide ratio is thousands of times higher than known comets.
7. It contains only 4% water by mass, unusually low for a comet.
8. It arrived from a direction within 9 degrees of the famous "Wow! Signal", a mysterious radio burst detected in 1977.

You've listed eight highly unusual features of 3I/ATLAS. Statistically, you've said the chance of these all occurring naturally is one in ten quadrillion. Could you elaborate on why that probability excites (or worries) you as a scientist?

Professor Avi Loeb: Anomalies are Nature's way of telling us that we are missing something. New knowledge is the thrill of being guided by data and attending to its anomalies.

You've often emphasised the idea of "preparedness for black swan events." In the context of interstellar objects - possibly even technological ones - what kind of global coordination or alert system should the scientific community build?

Professor Avi Loeb: Preparedness means not dismissing anomalies outright but following the data with an open mind. When we encounter something that could reshape our understanding of the Universe, we must have mechanisms - global networks, telescopes, and collaborative analysis - ready to respond quickly.

If Juno or any future spacecraft had the chance to intercept 3I/ATLAS, what would be your ideal set of observations or instruments to carry onboard? What one measurement could conclusively tell us if it's natural or engineered?

Professor Avi Loeb: Imaging and searching for a radio signal with the radio antenna onboard Juno. We do not expect a radio signal from an icy rock.

You've said science thrives on humility - on being open to the unexpected. How do you balance scientific skepticism with curiosity when facing something that seems to defy conventional explanations?

Professor Avi Loeb: By collecting enough data, we should eventually figure out the explanation for the anomalies. The scientific method is based on getting more and more data until the answer stares at our face clearly and without a doubt.

As 3I/ATLAS approaches its solar encounter, one thing is clear: this mysterious visitor is forcing humanity to confront just how much we still don't know about our cosmic neighborhood.

About Professor Abraham (Avi) Loeb

Avi Loeb is the Frank B. Baird, Jr. Professor of Science at Harvard University and Founding Director of Harvard's Black Hole Initiative. A bestselling author and leading astrophysicist, he has published over 800 papers on black holes, the first stars, and the search for extraterrestrial life.

Loeb also chairs the Breakthrough Starshot Initiative and leads The Galileo Project at Harvard, which aims to search scientifically for evidence of extraterrestrial technological artifacts. In 2012, TIME magazine named him among the 25 most influential people in space.