Preface: Comet 3I/ATLAS will be near Regulus (the “Heart of the Lion”) in the constellation Leo around its closest approach to Earth on December 19, 2025, appearing just below the bright star in the early pre-dawn, east-northeast sky, though a telescope is needed to see the faint comet itself.
About 3I/ATLAS: 3I/ATLAS offers scientists a rare opportunity to glimpse the constituent elements of another star system, but it also exhibits some unusual features, such as high carbon dioxide content, nickel-rich dust, and exotic gas escapes, all of which challenge conventional comet theories, although mainstream science tends to believe it is a comet.
Regarding the unexplained phenomena – the questions raised by Dr. Loeb: Dr. Avi Loeb deduced that the interstellar astronomy 3I/ATLAS may have lost a significant amount of mass, possibly tens of billions of tons, especially near the Sun. He drew this conclusion from the object’s rapid brightening before perihelion and the lack of detectable non-gravitational acceleration.
Ref: To know if an object has non-gravitational acceleration, you calculate its expected orbital path based only on gravity and compare it to its actual observed path; any significant deviation reveals a non-gravitational force, often from outgassing in comets (like a rocket), requiring complex modeling of mass loss, momentum transfer, and sublimation rates to quantify.
Examples in Action: A rocket expels mass (hot gas) backward, gaining momentum in the forward direction (Newton’s Third Law).
As a viewer, what will I think about when 3I/ATLAS approaches Regulus in Leo on December 19, 2025?
From a technological perspective, if a highly advanced civilization were to explore our solar system, they would be astonished to find that Earth possesses an atmosphere to protect it from comet impacts. Furthermore, Earth has a magnetic field to shield it from solar storms. Perhaps even a highly advanced civilization would find this structure extraordinary. We also have the Moon to regulate Earth’s tides. Perhaps the 3I/ATLAS probe knows that this solar system is under the control of another highly advanced civilization.
Professor Loeb’s recent article – Please refer to the link for details –
https://medium.com/@avi-loeb/image-of-3i-atlas-from-the-juice-navigation-camera-7ef8a5ef5e30