Ridge Runner Chronicles: Is It a Comet or an Alien Probe?
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By Bill Hoagland
On July 1, astronomers at the ATLAS telescope in Chile observed an object racing across the sky that was not supposed to be there. It was traveling at an estimated 130,000 miles per hour and it was huge– first impressions were that this object was 12 miles wide and coming from outside our solar system. (This object has since been officially designated as “3i ATLAS”. This designation refers to the fact that it is the third object we have seen having an interstellar origin and it was first observed by the ATLAS telescope). Since that initial observation, 3i ATLAS has been the subject of intensive study and is now believed to be oval in shape, approximately 7 miles in diameter and more than 7 billion years old, making it twice as old as our solar system. It appears to be traveling in a hyperbolic path through our solar system, meaning that its path is not subject to the gravitational pull of the Sun. It will come close to the Sun but will then move out of our solar system within the next six months.
Most astronomers believe that 3i ATLAS is a comet despite the fact that it does not have a coma or “tail” of dust and gas. It is believed that the coma will develop later as the frozen hydrogen and other elements on this object begin to melt when it gets closer to the Sun. This process, referred to as “outgassing”, is a classic sign that we are dealing with a natural object in the universe rather than an artificial one. But not everyone believes this is a comet. Professor Avi Loeb, an astrophysicist at Harvard University, believes that this object may be artificial in origin– more specifically, that it could be an alien probe because of its size, its speed and its hyperbolic path through our solar system. Professor Loeb has gone so far as to suggest that the unique path of 3i ATLAS through our solar system may have been preplanned.
Professor Loeb is receiving a lot of criticism for his suggestion that this may be an alien probe. One of Loeb’s colleagues referred to his theory as “nonsense on stilts”. But Professor Loeb thinks we need to wait and see before being so judgmental. As he puts it: “It is like a blind date”. In other words, don’t judge the quality of the blind date until after the date is over. (Could it be that Professor Loeb has had more than his share of blind dates?)
The most important aspect of 3i ATLAS is that it has been discovered as it is entering our solar system, not as it is leaving, as was the case with Oumuamua, our first confirmed interstellar visitor. By the time Oumuamua was discovered, it was too late to send a space craft to inspect it. Now there is serious discussion that we should intercept 3i ATLAS so that we can study it up close. But there is a catch. We do not have time to construct a space craft here on Earth and launch it before 3i ATLAS leaves our solar system. So the thinking is that we should repurpose an existing space craft already in orbit around Mars and program it to chase 3i ATLAS and catch it. If this seems like science fiction, it isn’t.
To be honest, I was disappointed when I heard that this is probably a comet and not an alien probe; maybe we need an ‘“alien probe” once in a while. So let’s cut Professor Loeb some slack and see how this ‘blind date” turns out before we declare Professor Loeb to be “in outer space”.
Note: Could it be that 3i ATLAS has been traveling at 130,000 miles per hour for the entire 7 billion years? How do the astrophysicists explain that? Could that be “nonsense on stilts” too?
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ν Bill Hoagland has practiced law in Alton for more than 50 years, but he has spent more than 70 years hunting, fishing and generally being in the great outdoors. His wife, Annie, shares his love of the outdoor life. Much of their spare time is spent on their farm in Calhoun County. Bill can be reached at [email protected].
