Amysterious interstellar object, named Three Atlas, was recently spotted by astronomers, and it could potentially be the oldest comet ever observed. In the vast, silent expanse of space, something extraordinary has arrived. As scientists tracked this peculiar object, they were stunned to discover it was emitting a shimmering cloud of refined metal—nickel, to be precise—something that nature should not be capable of producing. Suddenly, the line between what is a comet and something far more advanced began to blur.
For decades, scientists dismissed the idea of artificial extraterrestrial visitors as mere fantasy. However, the arrival of Three Atlas is forcing them to reconsider everything they thought they knew. This is the third interstellar object to be detected, meaning it came from outside our solar system. With its missing elements, impossible behaviors, and bizarre scientific anomalies, the object has become a source of intense speculation, leaving many to question whether this is the most profound mystery modern astronomy has ever encountered.
The First Clue: An Unlikely Cloud of Nickel
In the realm of space, there are certain expectations: planets orbit stars, moons orbit planets, and comets—those icy, dusty snowballs—are composed of familiar materials such as water, dust, and frozen gases. However, when astronomers analyzed the gas cloud surrounding Three Atlas, they found something that defied expectation. When they used spectroscopy, a method of analyzing light for chemical signatures, they found a clear and undeniable presence of nickel. Yet, the crucial twin element to nickel—iron—was completely absent.
This discovery was so strange that it shocked the scientific community. Normally, nickel and iron are inseparable; they are forged together in the violent deaths of stars and are commonly found together in asteroids, meteorites, and comets. To find one without the other is unheard of. The absence of iron in this interstellar object left many scientists scratching their heads, especially considering that the data came from one of Earth’s most advanced telescopes.
A Possible Natural Explanation: Metal Carbonals
Before jumping to conclusions about alien technology, scientists turned to natural explanations. One theory that emerged involved a class of compounds known as metal carbonals. Carbon monoxide is abundant in space, and when it interacts with certain metals, it can form a volatile compound, nickel tetracarbonyl. This compound is particularly interesting because it sublimates, or turns into gas, at a low temperature of just 109°F, whereas iron pentacarbonyl requires a much higher temperature (around 289°F) to do the same.
The theory goes like this: As Three Atlas got closer to the Sun, the nickel carbonyl on its surface reached its boiling point first, releasing a pure nickel cloud. Meanwhile, the iron remained frozen deep inside the comet’s icy core. This theory would explain the absence of iron, as it remained locked away until the comet got closer to the Sun and began to heat up. This theory, while plausible, still left many questions unanswered.
The Unsettling Possibility: Advanced Technology
However, as the natural explanation seemed to stretch the limits of credibility, some researchers began to entertain the idea that Three Atlas might not be a natural comet at all. Enter Avi Loeb, the Harvard astrophysicist who has become well-known for his controversial theory that the first interstellar object, ‘Oumuamua, was not a comet, but an alien probe. Now, with Three Atlas, Loeb is doubling down on this idea.
Loeb and his supporters argue that the presence of pure nickel in the object is not a mere chemical anomaly—it’s a technological fingerprint. In human engineering, pure nickel is widely used to coat surfaces to protect against corrosion and extreme heat. It’s a critical component in high-performance alloys used in spacecraft, nuclear reactors, and other advanced machinery. Finding it in space, especially in the form of pure vapor, suggests that Three Atlas might not be a natural rock, but rather a piece of sophisticated technology—possibly a probe or even debris from an ancient spacecraft that has been drifting through interstellar space for millions of years.
An Exhaust Plume and Other Oddities
Further supporting this theory is the discovery of another strange anomaly. The James Webb Space Telescope observed Three Atlas and found that it was emitting a large amount of carbon dioxide at an unusual ratio—eight parts carbon dioxide to one part water. This behavior is not typical for comets, whose gases usually evaporate in a different ratio. Instead, this could resemble the exhaust plume of a piece of advanced technology, like a spacecraft. This raised the possibility that the object is not merely a natural comet, but a complex, engineered artifact of some kind.
This isn’t the first time an interstellar object has baffled scientists. The first interstellar object, ‘Oumuamua, was shaped oddly—either like a cigar or a pancake—and accelerated away from the Sun in a manner that couldn’t be explained by gravity alone. Some speculated that it might be a solar sail—a piece of alien technology propelled by solar radiation. Others proposed it might be a hydrogen or nitrogen iceberg, venting gas that was invisible to telescopes. But whatever the truth, the object’s behavior was strange and inexplicable. Now, with Three Atlas following a similar pattern, the idea that these objects could be relics of ancient extraterrestrial civilizations is becoming harder to dismiss.
