- 7 weeks ago
A mysterious object called 3I/ATLAS just flew through our solar system, and some scientists say it doesn’t behave like a normal comet. Its speed, path, and brightness raised eyebrows almost immediately. A few researchers even wonder if it could be artificial — not built by humans, but something else. That doesn’t mean aliens for sure, but it does mean the data is weird enough to question old assumptions. In this video, we break down what 3I/ATLAS is, why it’s so unusual, and what scientists are actually arguing about. Animation is created by Bright Side.
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Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/
Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV
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For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me
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This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.
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00:01Comet 3I Atlas crashes into Earth and a wave of widespread destruction starts shaking our planet.
00:09Ginormous tsunamis are swallowing coastlines.
00:12Devastating earthquakes are cracking the ground.
00:15Hot debris is igniting massive firestorms.
00:19Thick clouds of dust are blocking the Sun.
00:22Now, that's what could happen if 3I Atlas, a massive comet traveling through the solar system, collided with our planet.
00:32But can this disaster actually occur?
00:36When will 3I Atlas be the closest to Earth? Let's figure this out.
00:41First of all, this comet turned out to be way larger than we previously thought.
00:47Its weight is likely a whopping 33 billion tons.
00:50Let's throw in a few comparisons to put it into perspective.
00:54The Eiffel Tower weighs about 10,000 tons.
00:57So, 33 billion tons is roughly the weight of 3.3 million Eiffel Towers. Impressive!
01:05Next, all the cars on Earth, and we're talking about 1.5 billion vehicles, each weighing about 1.5 tons,
01:14weigh approximately 2.25 billion tons.
01:17This means that the comet's mass is 15 times greater than the combined weight of literally all the cars on the planet.
01:26And finally, compared to buildings on Earth, 33 billion tons is equal to several large metropolitan areas made entirely of steel and concrete.
01:36But the whole idea of how big this comet is fades in comparison with an even crazier fact about it.
01:45It could be unknown technology from a different galaxy.
01:49And some experts are somewhat sure about that.
01:53But why?
01:543-Eye Atlas was first spotted in July by NASA's Asteroid Terrestrial Impact Last Alert System.
02:02A bit later, the U.S. Space Agency confirmed that the object was an interstellar object, only the third we have found so far.
02:09Before, it was comet 2-Eye Borosov that passed through in 2019, and Amumuamua, a weird elongated object that appeared in 2017.
02:21But the newest comet with its up to 3.5-mile nucleus dwarfs Amumuamua, which is just a quarter-mile long, and Borosov, which is about .6 miles across.
02:33By the way, some believe that the comet could be even bigger, up to almost 7 miles, but scientists haven't found any proof of that yet.
02:44Besides its size, 3-Eye Atlas is different in other ways too, which makes some scientists question its origins.
02:52The object is shedding huge amounts of carbon dioxide and dust while zooming towards the Sun.
02:57It's most likely the proof that 3-Eye Atlas is more massive than the other two interstellar objects by 3 to 5 orders of magnitude, which is basically a serious anomaly.
03:10The comet is also traveling toward the Sun incredibly fast.
03:15We're talking about around 130,000 miles per hour, which is almost 170 times the speed of sound.
03:22Another weird thing is that this interstellar object is following a straight trajectory, unlike anything else in the Solar System.
03:32Most space bodies move along curved orbits due to the force of gravity.
03:37That made some researchers believe that 3-Eye Atlas might be a probe sent by another civilization to explore Earth, possibly with not-so-friendly intentions.
03:47Their theory is that the object could be a technological artifact, a sign of cosmic intelligence.
03:55You see, the comet moves in a pretty weird way that doesn't totally line up with just gravity.
04:02Its trajectory also takes it close to Venus, Mars and Jupiter.
04:06And researchers think that these planets might be especially interesting for another civilization to pass by.
04:12Another bizarre fact, the space traveler also spins backward compared to most stuff in our Solar System.
04:22This might be necessary to make it easier for 3-Eye Atlas to get near Earth without much resistance.
04:27Some scientists think the comet's odd spin and flight path could help whoever or whatever made it take super precise measurements of the planets,
04:37things like their orbits and sizes, to plan a perfect route through the Solar System.
04:43If 3-Eye Atlas suddenly changes direction in a big way, that might mean it's using some kind of built-in engine instead of just drifting through space.
04:52There's also another theory that suggests it could be a piece of unknown tech that's still active.
05:00There's no need to worry though, at least at the moment.
05:04The comet isn't coming anywhere near us.
05:07NASA says it'll stay around 150 million miles from Earth when heading toward the Sun.
05:12So the question is, where do such space visitors come from?
05:16Astronomers have found that the three interstellar objects we discovered came from totally different parts of the galaxy.
05:25And each of them has its own age and background.
05:293-Eye Atlas turned out to be the oldest, about 4.6 billion years old.
05:34And it came from the Milky Way's thick disk.
05:37That's a region filled with older stars that have fewer heavy elements.
05:41One-Eye Amuamua is much younger, around 1 billion years old.
05:47It came from the galaxy's thin disk, where new stars are still being born.
05:53Amuamua, Hawaiian for a messenger from afar arriving first,
05:58was the first known object from another star system to pass through our Solar System.
06:03Basically, the first interstellar guest.
06:05It was super stretched out, about 10 times longer than it was wide, unlike anything else we've spotted in space.
06:15It also sped up in a way that couldn't be explained by gravity alone.
06:20Changes in brightness showed it was tumbling end over end, instead of spinning smoothly.
06:25At first, scientists were confused, because the space body didn't have a tail or cloud of gas like a normal comet, even though it was accelerating.
06:36That led to a lot of debate about what it was made of and where it came from.
06:41Just like with 3-Eye Atlas, some people wondered if it could be technology created by a space civilization.
06:47But most scientists now think Amuamua was a totally natural object, just a really weird one.
06:55The best guess is that it was a comet releasing invisible hydrogen gas, which caused it to speed up slightly.
07:02Sadly, by the time astronomers found it, it was already heading out of the Solar System, so there wasn't much time to study it.
07:08As for 2-Eye Borisov, it sits in between at roughly 1.7 billion years old.
07:16It also came from the thin disk.
07:19It was the first confirmed comet to come from another star system, and it gave scientists a super rare peek at what materials beyond our solar system were made of.
07:29The comet was discovered in 2019 by Gennady Borisov, an amateur astronomer who actually built his own telescope.
07:38to search for faint space objects.
07:42Unlike the first interstellar visitor, Amuamua, which looked more like an asteroid, Borisov behaved like a classic comet.
07:50It had a bright coma. That's a temporary fuzzy atmosphere of gas and dust forming around the comet's nucleus as it approaches the Sun.
07:58Plus, it boasted a long tail of dust and gas.
08:01Studying 2-Eye Borisov helped researchers learn more about how other planetary systems form.
08:09Observations showed that its dust grains were compact and that the amount of gases, like carbon dioxide, changed a lot as it approached the Sun.
08:17It could mean that the comet formed under very different conditions than anything else in our solar system.
08:23Now, 2-Eye Borisov is speeding away from the Sun and will never return.
08:30But it allowed scientists to take a unique glimpse into the chemistry and history of distant worlds.
08:37Interestingly, the differences between these three space objects suggest that interstellar visitors have been getting kicked out of planetary systems all across the galaxy for billions of years.
08:47So it's not something new.
08:50To figure out if 3-Eye Atlas might be some kind of probe from another planet, scientists are checking for any signs of technology, like strange radio signals, electric activity, and weird movement patterns.
09:04If the comet suddenly changes course or drops smaller objects nearby, it might be our cue.
09:10But even though 3-Eye Atlas is moving in a pretty wild and energetic way, it's most likely just a natural interstellar object passing through.
09:21Researchers say they'll need a lot more proof before anyone can seriously say the space wanderer was sent by someone from another planet.
09:30What do you think about this newly discovered space traveler? Share your opinion in the comments!
09:35A large space probe is nearing the Sun. The terrifying heat of the star begins to melt the shell of the spacecraft.
09:46Another moment, and the probe bursts into flames. In no time, it disintegrates in a powerful explosion.
09:53Ah, what a sad ending. If it were true!
09:55If it were true, it was not a probe. It was a comet known as 3-Eye Atlas. And despite everything people say, it's still intact and thriving.
10:06The thing is, there is a rumor online saying that comet 3-Eye Atlas exploded when it got closest to the Sun.
10:13But astronomers say this is not true. There was no explosion. And the comet's nucleus still looks whole and undamaged.
10:22Which is kind of surprising, since comets that pass very close to the Sun usually go through some serious changes.
10:28You see, comets are made of a mix of ice, dust, and rocky material. Which is why they're often called dirty snowballs.
10:37So, when they come close to the Sun, the intense heat from our star makes their ice turn into gas.
10:43This new gas can burst out in huge jets, form a cloud around the comet called a coma, and or be pushed away into a long tail.
10:51Sunlight makes all of these parts shine more brightly. And even people with small or simple telescopes can study the comet if the viewing conditions are good.
11:02But aside from being a breathtaking view, such a close approach can break off pieces of a comet, or even tear its whole nucleus apart.
11:11Now, it's true that some comets survive this process. But many, especially small ones, or comets entering the inner solar system for the first time,
11:20break into pieces, or disappear completely.
11:23Well, 3i Atlas acted differently. So there. It reached its closest point to the Sun on October 29, 2025.
11:32This point is called the Perhelion. At that moment, the comet was about 130 million miles from the Sun.
11:39That's about one and a half times the distance between the Sun and our planet.
11:43The comet was also on the opposite side of the Sun from Earth.
11:47So the star was blocking it from our view, and we couldn't see the comet.
11:51Anyway, even though 3i Atlas could hypothetically break apart or release lots of fragments, it didn't.
11:59The nucleus stayed intact. And this made the comet's behavior even more unusual and interesting to scientists.
12:06They looked closely at the new photos and said everything looked normal.
12:10Interestingly, the day before, some people thought the comet had broken into pieces after it came out from behind the far side of the Sun.
12:19This idea became popular after a blog post said the comet had lost a lot of mass.
12:25So to make this claim, the blog used photos taken on November 9 by two small telescopes in Spain.
12:32The pictures show jets of gas coming out of the comet.
12:36The scientists used this to estimate how much material was coming off the comet, claiming that it should have broken into at least 16 pieces.
12:44However, many scientists have questioned this statement.
12:47Most researchers say there's no proof that the comet exploded.
12:51One scientist who studies the comet says that all the images he had seen showed a completely normal, healthy comet.
12:59There's no sign that the main body of the comet has broken apart.
13:03Still, now that the comet is coming back into view, astronomers are watching it very carefully.
13:09They want to learn more about the comet's materials and structure.
13:13Right now, if you look at it from Earth, the comet seems to be slowly moving higher in the eastern sky.
13:20If the weather is good, people in many parts of the northern hemisphere can see it with a small telescope, like this one with a 6-inch lens.
13:28And many do pay attention to the comet.
13:31Since it was discovered in July, it has become the center of many curious ideas.
13:36Some people are sure that the comet, which comes from outside our solar system and might be more than 7 billion years old, could be a probe sent by a different civilization.
13:47Most astronomers strongly disagree, of course.
13:50They believe the comet is completely natural and comes from another star system somewhere in the Milky Way.
13:57And this is actually exciting!
13:59Comet 3I Atlas is only the third interstellar comet ever seen, and it is the largest one of its kind.
14:06Before, it was comet 2I Borisov that passed through in 2019, and Oumuamua, a weird elongated object that appeared in 2017.
14:17But 3I Atlas, with its up to 3.5-mile nucleus, dwarfs Oumuamua, which was just a quarter-mile long, and Borisov, which is about three-tenths of a mile across.
14:29Plus, 3I Atlas may be the oldest comet humans have ever observed.
14:34Oumuamua is much younger, around one billion years old.
14:38It came from the galaxy's thin disk, where new stars are still being born.
14:43It was the first known object from another star system to pass through our solar system.
14:48Basically, our first interstellar guest.
14:51It was super-stretched out, about ten times longer than it was wide, unlike anything else we've spotted in space.
14:58As for 2I Borisov, it sits in between, at roughly 1.7 billion years old.
15:04It also came from the thin disk.
15:06It was the first confirmed comet to come from another star system.
15:10And it gave scientists a super-rare peek at what materials beyond our solar system were made of.
15:16Unlike the first interstellar visitor, Oumuamua, which looked more like an asteroid, Borisov behaved like a classic comet.
15:24It had a bright coma, a temporary fuzzy atmosphere of gas and dust forming around the comet's nucleus as it approaches the Sun.
15:32Plus, it also had a long tail of dust and gas.
15:36Now, 2I Borisov is speeding away from the Sun and will never return.
15:41But it allowed scientists to take a glimpse into the chemistry and history of distant worlds.
15:47Now, let's get back to comet 3I Atlas.
15:50It will pass closest to Earth on December 19th.
15:53Until then, scientists will make many more observations.
15:57People will also make many new claims about the comet, that's for sure.
16:01But it's best to be cautious and not believe everything immediately.
16:05By the way, even though you can't see this famous comet with your own eyes or with a regular telescope,
16:11hey, that's good news.
16:13A powerful telescope in Italy is streaming it live for free.
16:17Whoa.
16:18So anyone can actually watch this mysterious object as it passes by.
16:22Scientists think this comet weighs about 33 billion tons.
16:26That's a big number.
16:28How about we make a few comparisons?
16:30The Eiffel Tower weighs around 10,000 tons.
16:33So 33 billion tons is the same as 3.3 million Eiffel Towers.
16:40And if you decide to compare the space visitor to buildings,
16:43well, 33 billion tons is about the same as the weight of several huge city areas made entirely of steel and concrete.
16:51Now, 3i Atlas was first noticed in July by NASA's Asteroid Terrestrial Impact Last Alert System.
17:00Which, if you're paying attention, is where they got the nickname Atlas.
17:04Shortly after, NASA confirmed that the object wasn't from our solar system at all.
17:09Now, besides being huge, 3i Atlas is unusual in several other ways.
17:14As it moves through the solar system, it's releasing massive amounts of carbon dioxide and dust.
17:19So, this suggests that 3i Atlas is 3 to 5 orders of magnitude, which means 1,000 to 100,000 times more massive than the two other known interstellar visitors.
17:31Such an enormous difference is a real scientific mystery.
17:35It's also traveling incredibly fast, about 150,000 miles per hour, which is almost 200 times the speed of sound.
17:43Hey, that will get you a speeding ticket!
17:46And unlike objects in our solar system, which follow curved paths because of gravity, 3i Atlas is moving on a nearly straight line.
17:55That alone makes it stand out.
17:57Now that the comet has moved past the Sun, telescopes on Earth can see it again.
18:02Comet 3i Atlas is important to us because it's only the third interstellar visitor we've ever seen.
18:09And it may be the biggest and oldest one yet.
18:12And it didn't break apart near the Sun like some other comets.
18:15By studying it, scientists can learn what materials exist in other star systems and better understand how comets, and even planets, form in our galaxy.
18:25That's it for today.
18:29So hey, if you've pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it with your friends.
18:34Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!
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