>>513525938
https://avi-loeb.medium.com/does-3i-atlas-generate-its-own-light-e9775594afc5
Astronomer Avi Loeb’s article explores the idea that the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS may generate its own light instead of merely reflecting sunlight.
Key Evidence
-A Hubble image shows a bright glow in front of the object with no cometary tail, an unusual feature.
-The glow’s brightness falls off steeply, following a 1/R4 profile—far sharper than typical comets.
-Loeb and a colleague argue this is best explained by a central light source within the nucleus illuminating surrounding dust, rather than sunlight reflecting off it.
Implications
-If true, the nucleus could be very small (under 100 m), consistent with earlier interstellar visitors ’Oumuamua and Borisov.
-Sunlight-reflection models, by contrast, require an improbably large nucleus of up to 20 km.
Possible Light Sources
Natural explanations seem unlikely:
-A primordial black hole: far too weak.
-Radioactive supernova debris: highly improbable.
-Heating from interstellar friction: calculations nearly rule it out.
Speculative options include:
-An unknown natural mechanism.
-A technological object, such as a nuclear-powered spacecraft coated with interstellar dust. Loeb notes this cannot be dismissed, given its unusual trajectory.
Conclusion
-Loeb suggests the simplest interpretation is that 3I/ATLAS itself produces light. Its close pass by Mars in October 2025 will give the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter a chance to gather critical data and possibly reveal the object’s true nature.
