A controversial new study suggests that a mysterious interstellar visitor—named **3I/ATLAS**—could pose a **potentially hostile threat** and may arrive near Earth in **late November or early December 2025**. While NASA insists the object poses no danger, researchers led by Harvard’s Avi Loeb argue its speed and trajectory may indicate intentional design UNILAD reveals the estimated timing.
First observed on **July 1**, the celestial body hurtles toward the sun at over **130,000 mph**, dwarfing the size of Manhattan at roughly **12–15 miles wide**. Though most scientists categorize it as a large comet, Loeb and colleagues propose it could be alien surveillance technology—possibly entering the solar system by design to avoid telescopic detection Live Science explains the hypothesis and New York Post covers its ‘hostile probe’ framing.

“If the hypothesis is correct, it could be catastrophic for humanity…”
Loeb’s preprint outlines how **3I/ATLAS** is set to pass near **Venus, Mars, and Jupiter**, before entering perihelion behind the sun in **late October or early November**—a location obscured from Earth that might provide a covert window for maneuvering or deploying reconnaissance devices as the study details and supported by **Hindustan Times** reporting HT’s speculative timeline.
Despite the provocative language, Loeb himself admits the most probable explanation remains that **3I/ATLAS is simply a comet**. He calls his work a “pedagogical exercise” to highlight risk and encourage telescope monitoring—not a definitive prediction of alien warfare Live Science quotes this disclaimer.
Experts including Oxford’s **Chris Lintott** and Canada’s **Samantha Lawler** reject Loeb’s hypothesis as “nonsense,” citing classical comet behavior—like visible coma and lack of anomalous acceleration—as proof the object is natural. They warn sensational framing detracts from legitimate astronomical work LADbible captures the expert pushback and New York Post quotes Lawler and Lintott’s rebuttals.
Meanwhile, **NASA’s Near Earth Object Studies center** has confirmed that **3I/ATLAS** poses **no collision risk**—its closest approach will be **170 million miles away**, well beyond safe distance. NASA also reaffirmed there’s no evidence of artificial origin, stressing it’s a natural interstellar visitor likely spanning billions of years old UNILAD relays their analysis and broader coverage outlines NASA’s dismissal of the threat.

In summary, the timeline singled out by researchers points to a **potential arrival or perihelion** in **late November to early December 2025**—the one moment the object could be obscured behind the sun. That obscurity fuels speculation that hostile intent might use the cover of its sunward pass as UNILAD highlights and corroborated by **Times of India’s astrology-linked coverage** referencing Baba Vanga’s prophecy for 2025 contact Times of India ties to mystic prediction.
For now, the broader scientific community urges calm: models, observations, and consensus align on cometary status—not extraterrestrial espionage. But the claimed **November window** remains the focal point for debate, monitoring, and speculative scenario planning—giving us until year-end to learn more or breathe easier.