Mysterious space rock captured passing by our solar system

Researchers said the picture shows the interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS, suggested to be a hostile alien spaceship by one Harvard astrophysicist, spewing dust and gas.

The striking image was captured by the science camera on ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) spacecraft.

Another study published earlier this month reported the space rock saw a "dramatic increase in brightness" two months after the icy body had passed its closest distance to the Sun.

The European Space Agency (ESA) said Thursday, Feb. 26: "The tiny nucleus of the comet (not visible) is surrounded by a bright halo of gas known as the coma. A long tail stretches away from the comet, and we see hints of rays, jets, streams and filaments."

The camera, named JANUS, took this image on Nov. 6, 2025, just seven days after the comet made its closest approach to the Sun. At the time, Juice was about 66 million km away from the comet.

In total, JANUS took more than 120 images of 3I/ATLAS across a large wavelength range. The instrument team is taking a closer look at all these images to understand what they reveal about the comet.

Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb theorised the comet could be an artificial alien probe on a reconnaissance mission, due to its unusual glow, trajectory aligning with planetary orbits, and non-natural path.

A scientific paper co-authored by Loeb had warned that the object could be a hostile spacecraft for which humanity should be prepared.

It read: “The consequences, should the hypothesis turn out to be correct, could potentially be dire for humanity, and would possibly require defensive measures to be undertaken (though these might prove futile).”