Introduction to the Mysterious Object
A mysterious object that a controversial scientist claims could be an alien battleship reached its closest point to Earth. The object, known as 3i/ATLAS, flew at 130,000 miles per hour at a distance of 170 million miles, about twice the distance of the Sun.
The Object’s Identity
There is almost a consensus among astronomers that the object is a comet from outside our solar system. However, an astrophysicist at Harvard University sparked a heated debate by warning that he could not rule out the possibility of extraterrestrials paying us a visit.
The Scientist’s Warning
Professor Avi Loeb told that humanity should be on high alert for a possible "black swan" event – something that is highly unlikely but has serious consequences and may have been foreseeable. “Alien technology is a potential threat because when you go on a blind date of interstellar proportions, you never know whether you have a friendly visitor as a dating partner or a serial killer,” he said.
Collecting Data
“If there is an impact on society, we need to consider even an unlikely event and collect as much data as possible to convince ourselves otherwise.” Professor Loeb said images of the object showed it had an unusual tail that could come from a propulsion system, nickel in its gas cloud could be evidence of metal mining on its surface and its trajectory, which matches the orbits of planets in our solar system, was too unlikely to be random.
The Object’s Origin
The U.S. and European space agencies have trained cameras from a dozen spacecraft on the object and say there is no doubt that its origin is entirely natural. NASA’s Amit Kshatriya said: "This object is a comet. It looks and behaves like a comet. All evidence points to it being a comet."
The Comet’s Age
Scientists estimate the comet is about eight billion years old, twice the age of our sun and solar system, and is a cosmic fossil left over from the formation of an unknown star in the galaxy.
Alternative Explanations
Professor Chris Lintott, an astronomer from the University of Oxford, told that there was nothing sinister about the object. “It’s just nonsense,” he said. “That’s like saying we should consider the possibility that the moon is made of cheese. You could consider that possibility if you wanted, but my first question is, why would you believe that?”
The Importance of Humility
Professor Loeb has accused other scientists of being blind to alternative explanations for what they see. “The foundation of science is the humility to learn,” he said. "It’s not the arrogance of expertise. And what you see very often is experts telling you what something should be, demonstrating the arrogance of their expertise. They’re not willing to learn anything new."
