A newly discovered interstellar object, 3I/ATLAS, is making waves across the global astronomy community, not just for its record-breaking size but for a theory that suggests it could be more than just a wandering comet.

Spotted on July 1, 3I/ATLAS is the third known interstellar object to enter our solar system, blazing through space at a staggering 130,000 mph (209,000+ km/h).

Measuring approximately seven miles across, it now holds the title of the largest interstellar visitor ever observed.

Initial telescope data from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory shows the object exhibiting classic comet-like behavior, including a faint coma of gas and dust. These features typically point to a natural origin, until a new paper threw a wrench into that assumption.

Published on July 16 by researchers affiliated with Harvard, the study suggests 3I/ATLAS might be more than cosmic debris. It points to a series of rare characteristics, particularly its nearly perfect alignment with Earth’s orbital plane and its retrograde orbit, as possible signs of artificial origin. The authors argue that such an alignment has only a 0.005% probability of happening by random chance.

More intriguingly, the object is set to pass close to Venus, Mars, and Jupiter before reaching perihelion (the closest point to the Sun) on October 29. From Earth’s vantage point, it will then be hidden directly behind the Sun, a position the paper calls “suspiciously well-timed,” raising speculation that it could be evading detection.

Despite these theories, the broader scientific community remains unconvinced. Most astronomers argue that the coma around the object is typical of comets and that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Many see the alien hypothesis as speculative at best.

Nonetheless, researchers plan to keep a close watch on 3I/ATLAS, which will stay at least 1.6 astronomical units (about 240 million kilometers) from Earth. Southern Hemisphere observatories are expected to play a key role in tracking its behavior during and after perihelion.

Whether it turns out to be an icy rock or something far stranger, one thing is certain, 3I/ATLAS has reignited fascination with what lies beyond our solar system and what, or who, might be out there.