3I/ATLAS is only the third interstellar object that humanity has detected and documented. It’s behaving differently than objects we’re familiar with, and since it isn’t gravitationally bound to our solar system, we can expect it to act in ways that defy our usual models. With only two other interstellar objects to compare it to, and a very limited dataset, there’s still much we don’t understand about how such objects are supposed to behave. Simply put, we don’t know what normal looks like for interstellar visitors.
Interestingly, 3I/ATLAS appears to have emitted something as it approached perihelion (its closest point to the Sun). Some have speculated that this could indicate a technological device performing an Oberth maneuver (a way to accelerate or decelerate a spacecraft by taking advantage of a massive object’s gravity well). However, it’s more likely the emission was caused by gas being released from inside the object after heating up from getting close to a star after who knows how long in interstellar space.
According to Avi Loeb “As of now, 3I/ATLAS appears most likely to be a natural comet. But the remote possibility of an Oberth maneuver must be considered seriously as a black swan event with a small probability, because of its huge implications for humanity.”
Whether natural or artificial, 3I/ATLAS reminds us just how little we know about interstellar phenomena, and how important it is to keep our minds open as we gather more data. Every new visitor challenges our understanding of what’s out there, and what might be possible.
https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/sbdb_lookup.html#/?sstr=3I%2FATLAS