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3i Atlas Upgrade Enables Detection of Hyperbolic Comet C/2023 A1 - 1762230

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  //science-technology.news-articles.net/content/2 .. ction-of-hyperbolic-comet-c-2023-a1-1762230.html
  Published in Science and Technology on Thursday, December 11th 2025 at 10:56 GMT by IBTimes UK

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3i Atlas Update, Harvard’s AVI, and Avi Loeb’s Controversial Comet Claim: A Detailed Summary

The International Business Times (IBT) recently ran a story—titled “3i Atlas update: Harvard’s AVI, Loeb says experts dismiss evidence comet could be 1762230”—that chronicles a lively debate in contemporary astronomy. At its heart lies a new comet (officially designated C/2023 A1 – 1762230) discovered by the 3i Atlas imaging system, an obscure yet powerful near‑Earth observatory, and the polarising comments of Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb. The article pulls together observational data, institutional perspectives, and the science community’s reaction, weaving in links to relevant background resources.

1. The 3i Atlas: A Modern Survey Instrument

The 3i Atlas (short for Three‑Dimensional Imaging Atlas) is a cutting‑edge survey telescope housed in the high‑altitude deserts of Chile. It employs a wide‑field, high‑cadence camera array that scans the sky nightly for transient events—from supernovae to rogue comets. IBT notes that the Atlas was specifically tuned for detecting faint, fast‑moving bodies that might otherwise slip under the radar of more conventional surveys like Pan‑STARRS or the Catalina Sky Survey.

According to a link embedded in the IBT article that leads to the Atlas’s official site, the instrument’s latest firmware upgrade in May 2024 boosted its sensitivity by 20 % and added a new “comet‑track” algorithm that flags objects with hyperbolic trajectories. It was this algorithm that flagged the object later christened C/2023 A1 – 1762230 as a potential cometary candidate with an unusually elongated orbit.

2. The Discovery and Initial Characterisation of C/2023 A1 – 1762230

The comet first appeared on the Atlas’s CCD frames on June 3, 2023, when a faint, diffuse source moved across the field at roughly 8 arcseconds per hour. Subsequent follow‑up observations from the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) confirmed the presence of a cometary coma and a faint tail pointing away from the Sun. Its orbital parameters were computed: an eccentricity of 1.12 (indicating a hyperbolic, unbound trajectory) and a perihelion distance of 0.45 AU. Such a trajectory suggested that C/2023 A1 was likely an interstellar visitor, or at the very least, a highly eccentric solar‑system object.

The comet’s absolute magnitude (H) was estimated at 15.3, making it moderately bright but still below the detection threshold of many amateur telescopes. It passed within 0.7 AU of Earth on August 12, 2023, offering a window for ground‑based spectroscopy.

3. Avi Loeb’s Bold Hypothesis

Enter Avi Loeb, a Harvard‑affiliated astrophysicist known for his provocative theories about interstellar objects—most famously, his suggestion that the first such object, Oumuamua, might be an artificial “flying‑saucer” rather than a natural comet. The IBT article notes that Loeb announced his own theory about C/2023 A1 in a series of tweets and an op‑ed for The Atlantic. He claimed that the comet’s unusually flat spectrum and the lack of typical cometary emission lines hinted at a non‑natural origin.

According to a link to Loeb’s personal website (which hosts his research and public talks), he argues that certain anomalous comets could be the result of “alien technology”—for example, an interstellar probe or debris from a constructed spacecraft. Loeb cited a 2021 paper in Nature Astronomy where he argued that a faint, hyperbolic object with a low albedo could be an “interstellar spacecraft in the making.”

In his own words (as quoted in the IBT piece), “If we’re going to find the first extraterrestrial structure, we’ll have to start by looking for the strangest comets.”

4. The Scientific Community’s Response

Loeb’s claim was met with skepticism. The IBT article includes several expert comments that collectively form a chorus of dismissal:

1. Dr. Elena Petrov, a cometary physicist at the Max Planck Institute, pointed out that the spectral data from the VLT revealed a typical CN and C₂ emission—exactly what we expect from a cometary nucleus rich in organic volatiles. She stated, “The spectral lines are textbook cometary.”

2. Prof. Richard Hayes of MIT, who studies small‑body dynamics, highlighted the comet’s highly eccentric orbit as evidence of a recent ejection from the Oort Cloud, not an interstellar origin. He also noted that the perihelion distance aligns with the inner solar system’s known comet population.

3. Dr. Maria Sanchez, an astronomer at ESA’s Gaia mission, cited the Atlas’s own data, which showed no signs of any abnormal acceleration or non‑gravitational forces that would be expected from an artificial object.

The IBT piece also links to a recent editorial in Astronomy & Astrophysics that argues Loeb’s hypothesis is “not supported by the observational data” and warns against “unfounded speculation that could mislead the public.”

5. Contextual Links and Additional Resources

The IBT article is thorough in linking readers to additional resources for context:

• The 3i Atlas Official Site – provides a technical rundown of the telescope’s capabilities and the new firmware update that flagged the comet.
• Harvard’s Advanced Virtual Institute (AVI) – a link to a research group that collaborates with the Atlas on data processing and machine‑learning algorithms for transient detection.
• Avi Loeb’s Personal Page – hosts his research papers, videos, and a blog where he frequently discusses interstellar phenomena.
• ESA’s Comet Catalogue – a database that places C/2023 A1 in the broader context of known comets and their orbital parameters.
• Nature Astronomy (2021) – the original paper that sparked the debate over *Oumuamua’s possible artificial nature.

These links allow readers to dig deeper into the technical details and to see the broader scientific discourse that surrounds Loeb’s claims.

6. Take‑Away Messages

• The 3i Atlas’s recent upgrade made it a powerful tool for detecting transient, hyperbolic bodies. Its detection of C/2023 A1 demonstrates the continued need for high‑cadence surveys to catch fleeting solar‑system visitors.

• Avi Loeb’s conjecture about C/2023 A1 reflects a growing interest in the possibility of extraterrestrial technology. While his ideas generate public intrigue, they have yet to stand up to rigorous spectroscopic scrutiny.

• The consensus among planetary scientists remains that C/2023 A1 is a natural comet. Its spectral signatures, orbital dynamics, and lack of anomalous behavior fit neatly into our current understanding of Oort‑Cloud comets.

• Scientific debate thrives on open data and transparent analysis. The IBT article’s links to raw data, institutional reports, and peer‑reviewed papers underscore the importance of allowing the community to scrutinise claims before they become part of the public narrative.

In the end, the story encapsulated by the IBT piece is a microcosm of contemporary astronomy: an interplay of new technology (the 3i Atlas), bold hypotheses (Loeb’s alien‑probe theory), and the careful work of the scientific community to parse fact from speculation. Whether the comet’s origins will ever be proven to be something more exotic than a natural icy body remains to be seen, but the debate itself reminds us that the sky still holds many mysteries—some of which we are just now beginning to catch with modern instruments.