Avi Loeb, the renowned Harvard astrophysicist, is stirring up excitement over a mysterious interstellar object known as 3I/ATLAS. First observed racing into our solar system, Loeb believes it might just be an "extraterrestrial artifact" sent by an intelligent alien civilization.

While most researchers agree that 3I/ATLAS is likely a comet—especially after observations from the Gemini South telescope in Chile confirmed its growing tail—the debate is far from over. As it inches closer to the Sun next month, Loeb is urging NASA to deploy its Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Juno probe to gather more data about this enigmatic visitor.

"If we are visited by a technological object, it could either visit us directly or release mini-probes that might arrive on Earth, appearing as unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs)," Loeb stated on "The Sol Foundation" podcast, referring to the current terminology used in the U.S. for UFOs.

Adding to the intrigue, Loeb noted that 3I/ATLAS is estimated to be up to 28.5 miles wide—massive compared to other interstellar objects, which makes it a significant outlier. "Its size could be a million times more massive than previous interstellar visitors, which raises questions since there isn’t sufficient material in interstellar space to support such a mass," he remarked.

What’s particularly fascinating is the object's trajectory, which brings it alarmingly close to several planets in our solar system, including Mars, Venus, and Jupiter. According to Loeb, it will pass within a mere 1.67 million miles of Mars' orbit, showcasing an astonishing precision in its path.

However, Loeb remains open to the possibility that this object might simply be a rock with surface ice, a more mundane explanation for its behavior. "If that’s the case, we will categorize it as a natural phenomenon," he conceded during an interview with NewsNation.

Despite this, Loeb emphasizes the importance of keeping an open mind. "An open-minded scientist shouldn't dismiss the potential that 3I/ATLAS could be an alien object. Nature is often more imaginative than we think, and it doesn’t care whether we understand it or not," he wrote in his latest blog.

As scientists continue to watch this intriguing visitor, the question remains: is 3I/ATLAS simply a cosmic rock, or could it be evidence of life beyond Earth? The universe holds many mysteries, and Loeb’s call for scientific curiosity may just lead us to uncovering them.