A newly studied interstellar object, 3I/ATLAS, is emitting nickel without iron, an anomaly that has fueled debate over whether it is natural or technological in origin.
An interstellar object racing through the Solar System has been found releasing a metal never seen in natural comets, raising questions about its origin.
The Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile detected a plume of nickel emerging from the body, named 3I/ATLAS. Unlike ordinary comets, which emit nickel alongside iron, this object has shown no signs of iron.
Harvard physicist Avi Loeb described the findings as highly unusual, noting in a blog post: “Is this anomaly another clue for a possible technological origin of 3I/ATLAS?” He explained that the nickel signature could resemble the industrial process of nickel refining.
The study, published Wednesday by astrophysicists in Chile, reported the object is shedding nickel at about five grams per second and cyanide at 20 grams per second, with emissions increasing as it approaches the sun. Researchers suggested sunlight may be breaking down nickel compounds, but said the pattern does not match natural cometary activity.
NASA observations from the James Webb Space Telescope and SPHEREx further revealed the plume is dominated by carbon dioxide and contains only five percent water, unlike typical water-rich comets. Webb’s data also revised the object’s size from 12 miles to just 1.7 miles in length.
Loeb argued the anomalies point to possibilities beyond natural formation, but other scientists remain skeptical. Oxford astronomer Chris Lintott dismissed the claims as “nonsense on stilts,” calling it “an insult to the exciting work going on to understand this object.”