A brand new pre-print paper involving sometimes-controversial Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb has steered a approach we may intercept interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS because it hurtles via the Photo voltaic System.
On July 1, 2025, astronomers noticed an object shifting via the Photo voltaic System at almost twice the speed of earlier interstellar guests ‘Oumuamua and Comet Borisov. The article, which was confirmed to be an interstellar comet with its personal dusty coma, is way bigger than the earlier two, with an estimated nucleus (the rocky a part of the comet, excluding its coma) of round 5.6 kilometers (3.5 miles).
Early work has proven that it could be of giant curiosity to scientists, past it being the third confirmed interstellar customer. For a begin, it could have come from a distinct area of our galaxy altogether, and could also be far older than any of the identified our bodies in our Photo voltaic System. However there’s a drawback in finding out it shut up. At its closest level to the Solar (perihelion), the thing shall be on the other facet of the Solar to Earth, making it considerably troublesome to view.
Within the new paper, which has not but been peer reviewed, Loeb, Adam Hibberd, and Adam Crowl focus on the opportunity of repurposing NASA’s Juno spacecraft to intercept the thing because it makes a detailed method to the fuel large.
“This shut encounter supplies a uncommon alternative to shift the spacecraft Juno from its present orbit round Jupiter to intercept the trail of 3I/ATLAS at its closest method to Jupiter,” the workforce explains of their paper.
“The devices obtainable on Juno, particularly a near-infrared spectrometer, magnetometer, microwave radiometer, gravity science instrument, energetic particle detector, radio and plasma wave sensor, UV spectrograph and visual gentle digital camera/telescope, can all be used to probe the character of 3I/ATLAS from a detailed distance.”
Earth will not get a great view, however close to Jupiter we’d.
Picture credit score: NASA/JPL-Caltech
To be able to place Juno within the path of the interstellar comet, an “Oberth Maneuver” would should be carried out by the spacecraft. On this maneuver, a spacecraft drops additional right into a gravity properly (on this case, Jupiter), growing its pace, earlier than firing its engines. Thrust at this level provides extra kinetic vitality to the spacecraft’s orbit than it could if it was additional away, leading to a fuel-efficient velocity improve.
“We’ve discovered that the applying of a thrust of two.6755 km s−1 on September 9, 2025, can probably shift the Juno spacecraft from its orbit round Jupiter to intercept the trail of 3I/ATLAS on March 14, 2026,” the workforce concludes. “With Juno’s many devices, a fly-by can probe the character of 3I/ATLAS much better than telescopes on Earth.”
Whereas a cool thought, NASA is at present going through huge cuts from the Trump administration. Juno, which first entered orbit round Jupiter in July 2016, is because of finish its mission in September 2025, or “till the spacecraft’s finish of life”, in line with NASA. Although it could be a tempting alternative to see an interstellar object, with the trail of 3I/ATLAS being unsure because it heats up on its photo voltaic method, NASA additionally might not wish to sacrifice time finding out Jupiter for the prospect.
One other caveat so as to add regards claims in regards to the potential nature of the thing itself. Earlier this month, in a paper Loeb claims “is an fascinating train in its personal proper, and is enjoyable to discover, no matter its probably validity”, he steered the thing may very well be an interstellar probe despatched by an clever species.
In that paper, which he states is essentially a “pedagogical train”, he posited that the thing may very well be hostile, as outlined within the “Darkish Forest” speculation. In brief (although you must learn the ebook on which it’s based mostly), given the finite assets within the universe, any lifeform might wish to pre-emptively assault every other type of life, earlier than it turns into a risk to their very own civilizations. In response to Loeb’s paper, the thing may very well be right here for that objective.
“3I/ATLAS achieves perihelion on the other facet of the Solar relative to Earth. This may very well be intentional to keep away from detailed observations from Earth-based telescopes when the thing is brightest or when devices are despatched to Earth from that hidden vantage level,” Loeb writes on his weblog.
“The optimum level for a reverse Photo voltaic Oberth maneuver to turn out to be sure to the Solar is at perihelion,” he added, “it’s this optimum breaking level for 3I/ATLAS that’s obscured from our view by the Solar.”
The paper goes on to assert that if the comet have been a spacecraft, it could be capable of make it to Earth utilizing this maneuver by November or December 2025. This is not too shocking, as Loeb made related claims in regards to the earlier two interstellar objects, suggesting ‘Oumuamua could also be a lightweight sail, and is thought for such outlandish hypothesis.
Again in actuality, we’ll solely study extra about these objects as we see extra of them and, hopefully, at some point, take a more in-depth have a look at them utilizing spacecraft. However do not get your hopes up an excessive amount of for NASA adopting this plan. With lowered price range and staffing, and directions to go to Mars, it already has so much on its arms.
The paper is posted to pre-print server arXiv.
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