Did 3I/ATLAS explode near Sun? That would explain sudden brightening and jets. If not, then...

Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS brightened up near the Sun at perihelion, and also lost a lot of mass, both of which were several magnitudes more than expected. Recent images show strange jet structures emanating from it, in "at least seven directions." Now Harvard scientist Avi Loeb has hypothesised that it looks like 3I/ATLAS exploded near the Sun, an occurrence that could explain both the brightening and loss of mass. He states that according to data, on August 6, 2025, 3I/ATLAS lost only 150 kilograms of mass per second, as observed by the Webb telescope. But the latest images show that mass loss at perihelion is "4 orders of magnitude larger, about 2 million kilograms per second." He wrote, "Since the surface-to-mass ratio scales inversely with the characteristic radius of fragments, an increase in surface area by a minimum factor of 16 requires that 3I/ATLAS broke into at least 16 equal pieces, and likely many more." In case it is a natural comet, then the sudden brightening that was noted were "fireworks" from the explosion.

Also Read: New 3I/ATLAS image shows strange jets shooting out of interstellar object

If 3I/ATLAS has remained intact, then it could be something else

3I/ATLAS might soon start resembling the comet Shoemaker-Levi 9 that was torn off by Jupiter's gravity in 1994, leading the fragments to collide with the planet. But then again, in case the interstellar comet has not been broken down by the Sun and stayed "intact", then it might be a hint of it being an unnatural object, Loeb said. He once again highlighted that the earliest observations show that 3I/ATLAS has a mass that is "over a million times more than the inferred mass of 1I/`Oumuamua." It is estimated to be 33 billion tons, he said, pointing out as one of the first anomalies. If this is the case, then, Loeb says, “Houston, we have a problem” if it is a natural comet hypothesis. "The required surface area of 3I/ATLAS to provide the inferred mass loss from the latest post-perihelion image is at least 16 times larger than the upper limit derived from its Hubble image on July 21, 2025," he wrote.

Also Read: First radio signal detected from 3I/ATLAS as it swiped past the Sun

We'll have to wait for a clearer picture of 3I/ATLAS and how the Sun might have changed it. Latest images show jets shooting out of the object, with at least one anti-tail, and more jets in other directions. Michael Buechner and Frank Niebling shared pictures of the comet, with the "sunward jets measuring 0.95 million kilometres, while the tail jetting away from the Sun is about 2.85 million kilometres long." A better picture can be observed only by the end of November and early December, when it starts getting closer to Earth. It also turned bright blue, changed trajectory and displayed non-gravitational acceleration, all of which have puzzled scientists.