“If you want to take a vacation, take it before then”

The interplanetary object Into 3i / Atlas is expected to reach its perihelion, or closest point on its eccentric path up through the Solar System in our Plan, on October 29

And while scientists have collected a lot of evidence that the strange visitor from another star is a comet, made mostly of carbon dioxide ice, Harvard Adstroser Avi Loeb did not give much permission that it was sent by a great civilization after that.

Loeb has repeatedly pointed to “anomalies” in his main suspect object in its unusual probe that took off near Mars earlier this month.

In a new blog post, LoeB suggested that if 3i/atlas were to become a spacecraft, it could use its proximity to the sun’s powerful gravitational pull to accelerate or decelerate – while remaining well hidden behind our star.

“If you want to take a vacation, take it early [October 29]because who knows what will happen? ” Loeb told Science Communicator and writer Mayali Bialik in an interview.

Loeb pointed to one of the most important Dynamics in the movement of Space to support his opinion that the 3i / atlas – if it is space – you can really use its perihelion to increase its velocity.

“Because of what is called the Oberth Effect, it works very well with the spacecraft engine to burn fuel when its velocity is limited so that the rocket engine produces more power when it is fired at a higher speed.

Astronomer is reiterating his hypothesis that matter can emit small probes to better understand our neighbor.

“If 3i/Atlas is a big mother, it will continue on its original downward trajectory and eventually exit the solar system,” he added. “In that case, the Oberth Maneuver can work on mini-proes out of Perihelion with respect to the planets of the solar system.”

According to Loeb, the “right time” to adjust its velocity is its perihelion next week. However, for him, time raises more questions.

“This right time happens to be within the same time period that is hidden from view by Earth-based telescopes,” he asked. “Was this artificial or the result of orbital design and basic astronautics?”

Loeb’s hypothesis that the 3i / atlas was sent to us by an alien civilization has shaken many doubts. Members of the scientific community have repeatedly thrown cold water on the eyeb concept.

“It looks like a comet,” Tom Stitler, NASA’s lead scientist for the Small Solar System, told Caretaker last month. “It’s doing things. It’s very, very similar to all the methods, conmets we know.”

“It’s a mess,” he concluded at the time, while still admitting that it has “lovely properties that are a little different from our solar system.”

However, while Loeb recently admitted that there is a small chance that 3i / Atlas was from technology, the astronomer is not giving up hope.

“Science is guided by evidence, not expectations,” he wrote in his latest blog post. “We can get an answer to the above question by looking at the sky in November and December 2025, and we are looking for any unusual activity of 3i / atlas or other new things that came out of it.”

“From now on, 3i/atlas appears more likely to be a natural comet,” added Loeb. “But it is possible that a person with great intelligence should be taken seriously as a black swan event with little chance, because of its great human implications.”

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