Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb has accused NASA of withholding critical evidence, warning that the agency is deliberately concealing a bombshell image of the mysterious interstellar object 3I/ATLAS.
During an interview on “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast, Loeb said the photograph in question was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera aboard NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO).
The shot reportedly captured the object as it passed within 30 million kilometers of Mars, an exceptionally close encounter for an object entering the solar system from interstellar space.
Loeb, who chaired Harvard’s Department of Astronomy from 2011 to 2020, said that when he tried to obtain the data directly, his request was shut down by NASA.
“I wrote to the principal investigator of HiRISE, asking, ‘Can I get the data? I’m a scientist,’” Loeb said.
He added that he received “no response” from NASA.
WATCH:
“Unusual” Behavior Raises New Questions
The object, officially designated 3I/ATLAS, has displayed several unusual features that have fueled scientific debate and speculation.
Many scientists have warned that 3I/ATLAS doesn’t exhibit several traits typically associated with comets.
According to The New York Post, the object emits jet-like outflows toward the Sun rather than away from it.
Experts note that solar blasts from the Sun should push the outflows away from its surface, not toward it.
This behavior contradicts conventional models of cometary activity.
The object also lacks a visible tail and has been observed emitting nickel without iron, a composition rarely seen in natural solar system bodies.
Loeb has previously suggested that these anomalies might warrant an unconventional explanation.
While he has raised the possibility that 3I/ATLAS could be artificial or of alien origin, he maintains that a more likely explanation is “terrestrial stupidity.”
Even so, he notes that the comet’s non-gravitational acceleration and unusual trajectory leave open questions about its true nature.
“If 3I/ATLAS is a massive mothership, it will likely continue along its original gravitational path and ultimately exit the Solar system,” Loeb wrote in a September blog post.
“In that case, the Oberth maneuver might apply to the mini-probes it releases at perihelion towards Solar system planets.”
“Science Is Guided by Evidence, Not Expectations”
Loeb urged that the only way to uncover the truth is through observation.
“Science is guided by evidence and not by expectations,” he wrote.
“We can find the answer to the above question by monitoring the sky during November and December 2025, and searching for any unusual activity of 3I/ATLAS or any new objects that came out of it.”
For now, Loeb says, the object appears most likely to be a natural comet.
However, he argues that scientists must remain open to unexpected possibilities.
“As of now, 3I/ATLAS appears most likely to be a natural comet,” he added.
“But the remote possibility of an Oberth maneuver must be considered seriously as a black swan event with a small probability, because of its huge implications for humanity.”
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