According to the scientist, images obtained on November 11 showed that the object maintained its integrity after approaching the Sun and did not disintegrate.
“For a natural comet, the fact that 3I/ATLAS remains a single body is quite surprising,” emphasized Loeb.
He noted that this phenomenon presents a new mystery to the scientific community, especially for those questioning the cometary nature of the object. The astronomer stated that the circumstances strongly support the hypothesis of an artificial origin of 3I/ATLAS rather than its natural formation.
Up to this point, researchers have, for the first time, recorded a signal coming from the 3I/ATLAS space body. It was noted that hydroxyl (OH) absorption was detected at frequencies of 1665 MHz and 1667 MHz.
According to scientific sources, previous attempts to detect a signal in the same absorption spectral lines, undertaken on September 28 this year, were unsuccessful. During the object’s approach to Jupiter, scheduled for March 16 next year, the Juno spacecraft will attempt to detect a radio signal in the low-frequency range.