Interstellar object 3I/ATLAS again attracted the attention of the scientific community after a statement by a Harvard astrophysicist Avi Leba. According to him, the comet can use a certain “protective beam”clearing the way before her movement.
Loeb studying NASA images HiRISEdetected an unusual expansion in front of the object in the direction of its trajectory. The scientist suggests that it could be a stream of light or particles emitted like a tool to remove micrometeoroids and cosmic dust that could damage a moving object.
This was first reported by astronomical sources on the social network X, including the channel Astronomy Vibes. Although the hypothesis sounds bold, Loeb emphasizes that the observed structure is indeed different from the typical features of cometary tails.
? The December 9, 2025 image of 3I/ATLAS (left) reveals a distinct sunward jet, clearly highlighted in the Larson–Sekanina processed frame (right). This same jet-like structure was also visible in the Hubble Space Telescope image taken on November 30, 2025.
☄️ Image Credit:… pic.twitter.com/gmLnC04oi0
— Astronomy Vibes (@AstronomyVibes) December 10, 2025
In November telescope NASA Hubble re-photographed 3I/ATLAS at a distance of about 286 million kilometers from Earth and recorded a sudden increase in brightness. Then the researchers suggested that the object was covered ice cryovolcanoesemitting jets of gas and dust. Observations continue as the comet gradually leaves the solar system.
Given the unprecedented nature of such interstellar objects, astronomers do not exclude the possibility that the behavior 3I/ATLAS may reveal new aspects of physics that were simply not observable before.
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