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])
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])
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])
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])
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)
https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/comets/3i-atlas/ ([NASA Science][1])
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Comet_3I_ATLAS_frequently_asked_questions ([European Space Agency][2])
https://www.esa.int/Space_Safety/Planetary_Defence/ESA_pinpoints_3I_ATLAS_s_path_with_data_from_Mars ([European Space Agency][3])
https://minorplanetcenter.net/mpec/K25/K25N12.html ([Minor Planet Center][4])
https://www.cobs.si/comet/2643/ ([COBS][5])
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
Discovery photometry, coma size, colors, dust properties.
https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2025MNRAS.542L.139B/abstract ([ADS][7])
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
Nordic Optical Telescope photometry, activity vs heliocentric distance.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.18769 ([arXiv][9])
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])
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])
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
Cosmic-ray–altered outer layers, age estimates of several Gyr, implications for composition.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.26308 ([arXiv][13])
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)
Walks through dynamics, non-gravitational acceleration, and why standard comet physics suffices.
https://eartharxiv.org/repository/view/9820/ ([EarthArXiv][15])
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
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])
https://www.space.com/astronomy/james-webb-space-telescope-takes-1st-look-at-interstellar-comet-3i-atlas-with-unexpected-results ([Space][18])
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
https://www.livescience.com/space/comets/astronomers-detect-first-radio-signal-from-interstellar-comet-3i-atlas-but-it-wasnt-aliens ([Live Science][20])
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])
https://www.discovermagazine.com/radio-signals-detected-from-comet-3i-atlas-what-its-interstellar-origins-reveal-48255 ([Discover Magazine][22])
https://www.iflscience.com/how-we-know-interstellar-object-3iatlas-is-not-an-alien-mothership-81524 ([IFLScience][23])
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
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])
https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news/comet-3i-atlas-images ([Sky at Night Magazine][26])
https://www.seti.org/news/comet-3iatlas-perihelion-update/ ([SETI Institute][27])