Possible alien tech eh? Im pretty out of my league here so idk if this helps but I gathered these:

1. Official / “boring but solid” info (no Loeb)1. Official / “boring but solid” info (no Loeb)

• NASA overview page (orbit, safety, JWST & SPHEREx notes)
  https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/comets/3i-atlas/ ([NASA Science][1])
• ESA – 3I/ATLAS FAQ (plain-language science + ongoing updates)
  https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Comet_3I_ATLAS_frequently_asked_questions ([European Space Agency][2])
• ESA – Mars-based tracking of 3I/ATLAS’s trajectory
  https://www.esa.int/Space_Safety/Planetary_Defence/ESA_pinpoints_3I_ATLAS_s_path_with_data_from_Mars ([European Space Agency][3])
• Minor Planet Center – official discovery circular (MPEC 2025-N12)
  https://minorplanetcenter.net/mpec/K25/K25N12.html ([Minor Planet Center][4])
• COBS ephemeris & magnitudes (observer-oriented data)
  https://www.cobs.si/comet/2643/ ([COBS][5])
• Wikipedia hub (compiled from many groups, with references list)
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3I/ATLAS ([Wikipedia][6])

2. Peer-reviewed papers & preprints (non-Loeb authors)2. Peer-reviewed papers & preprints (non-Loeb authors)

Discovery & basic physical propertiesDiscovery & basic physical properties

• Bolin et al. – “Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS: discovery and physical characterization” (MNRAS)
  Discovery photometry, coma size, colors, dust properties.
  https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2025MNRAS.542L.139B/abstract ([ADS][7])
• “Near-Discovery SOAR Photometry of the Third Interstellar Object” (MNRAS Letters)
  Early SOAR data constraining brightness and activity pre-announcement.
  https://academic.oup.com/mnras/advance-article/doi/10.1093/mnras/staf1994/8321686 ([OUP Academic][8])

Activity, dust & gasActivity, dust & gas

• Jewitt et al. – “Pre-perihelion Development of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS”
  Nordic Optical Telescope photometry, activity vs heliocentric distance.
  https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.18769 ([arXiv][9])
• Keto – “A Physical Model for the Ice Coma of 3I/ATLAS”
  Models the strange anti-tail seen in HST/Keck/Gemini, in terms of water-ice grains and CO₂ sublimation.
  https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.18157 ([arXiv][10])
• Zubko et al. – “Unusual polarimetric response of interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS” (MNRAS Letters)
  Polarimetry of the dust coma; compares polarization behavior to solar-system comets.
  https://academic.oup.com/mnrasl/advance-article/doi/10.1093/mnrasl/slaf112/8307494 ([OUP Academic][11])
• Zhang et al. – “Rapid Brightening of 3I/ATLAS Ahead of Perihelion”
  Deals with the brightening close to perihelion when it was near conjunction.
  https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.25035 ([arXiv][12])

Origin, age & galactic contextOrigin, age & galactic context

• Maggiolo et al. – “Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS: Evidence for Galactic Cosmic Ray Processing”
  Cosmic-ray–altered outer layers, age estimates of several Gyr, implications for composition.
  https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.26308 ([arXiv][13])
• Pérez-Couto et al. – “3I/ATLAS: In Search of the Witnesses to Its Voyage”
  Back-traces its trajectory through the Galaxy, looks for candidate stellar encounters.
  https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.07678 ([arXiv][14])

Direct responses to the “alien probe” angle (non-Loeb)Direct responses to the “alien probe” angle (non-Loeb)

• Haque – “Why 3I/ATLAS is Not an Alien Probe” (EarthArxiv)
  Walks through dynamics, non-gravitational acceleration, and why standard comet physics suffices.
  https://eartharxiv.org/repository/view/9820/ ([EarthArXiv][15])
• Hibberd – “Is the Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS Alien Technology?” (arXiv)
  Dark-forest style thought-experiment; not Loeb, but engages with that hypothesis from another angle.
  https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.12213 ([arXiv][16])

3. JWST / SPHEREx / multi-telescope coverage3. JWST / SPHEREx / multi-telescope coverage

• ESA image note – “Webb observations of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS”
  Short write-up + NIRSpec image, links to preprint.
  https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2025/08/Webb_observations_of_interstellar_comet_3I_ATLAS ([European Space Agency][17])
• Space.com – JWST first look & early results
  https://www.space.com/astronomy/james-webb-space-telescope-takes-1st-look-at-interstellar-comet-3i-atlas-with-unexpected-results ([Space][18])
• Medium (Starts With A Bang) – SPHEREx + JWST spectral analysis explainer
  https://medium.com/starts-with-a-bang/spherex-and-jwst-reveal-what-comet-3i-atlas-is-and-isnt-74cd580c549c ([Medium][19])

4. Popular-science articles pushing back on the alien-mothership stuff4. Popular-science articles pushing back on the alien-mothership stuff

• LiveScience – first radio detection (MeerKAT OH emission, natural explanation)
  https://www.livescience.com/space/comets/astronomers-detect-first-radio-signal-from-interstellar-comet-3i-atlas-but-it-wasnt-aliens ([Live Science][20])
• LiveScience – JWST: billions of years of cosmic-ray processing, not alien engineering
  https://www.livescience.com/space/comets/comet-3i-atlas-has-been-transformed-by-billions-of-years-of-space-radiation-james-webb-space-telescope-observations-reveal ([Live Science][21])
• Discover – “Radio Signals Detected From Comet 3I/ATLAS — What Its Interstellar Origins Reveal”
  https://www.discovermagazine.com/radio-signals-detected-from-comet-3i-atlas-what-its-interstellar-origins-reveal-48255 ([Discover Magazine][22])
• IFLScience – “How We Know Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS Is Not An Alien Mothership”
  https://www.iflscience.com/how-we-know-interstellar-object-3iatlas-is-not-an-alien-mothership-81524 ([IFLScience][23])
• Space.com – tail growth & activity evolution
  https://www.space.com/stargazing/interstellar-comet-3i-atlass-tail-is-still-growing-new-image-shows ([Space][24])

5. Imagery, observing & amateur work5. Imagery, observing & amateur work

• Virtual Telescope Project – ion tail evolution, 11 Nov 2025
  https://www.virtualtelescope.eu/2025/11/11/interstellar-comet-3i-atlas-aka-c-2025-n1-atlas-the-ion-tail-is-getting-longer-11-nov-2025/ ([The Virtual Telescope Project 2.0][25])
• BBC Sky at Night – curated image gallery (VLT, Gemini, Hubble, Webb, etc.)
  https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news/comet-3i-atlas-images ([Sky at Night Magazine][26])
• SETI Institute – perihelion update & science context
  https://www.seti.org/news/comet-3iatlas-perihelion-update/ ([SETI Institute][27])

Randall Carlson