Scientist says 14-year-old spacecraft hovering over Jupiter can encounter 'alien ship' on THIS date

The interstellar object racing towards the inner solar system has intrigued astronomers around the world. Harvard scientist Avi Loeb thinks that it could be an object sent by aliens to study Earth and the entire star system. This theory has been panned by critics who say it is highly unlikely that it is a spacecraft sent by an intelligent alien civilisation. Loeb's theory has triggered panic among some people who think Earth is under threat of an alien attack. Now, Loeb has come up with another idea about the 3I/ATLAS, putting forward the idea that a spacecraft already zooming through the region near Jupiter could take a closer look at this interstellar object. In a paper yet to be peer reviewed, he suggests that NASA's Juno, launched in 2011 to study Jupiter, could intercept the object. He also has the exact date this could happen - March 14, 2026. He says if Juno accelerates by 2.6 kilometres per second on September 14, 2025, it could come face to face with 3I/ATLAS. Also Read: Expert says interstellar object 3I/ATLAS is alien spacecraft: 3 reasons why he thinks so

How Juno can study the interstellar object

However, scientists say this meeting is scientifically not possible because the object is cruising at an astounding speed of 60 kilometres per second. However, what Juno can do is use its scientific instruments to "probe the nature of 3I/ATLAS from a close distance," Loeb stated. "The close encounter of 3I/ATLAS to Jupiter provides a rare opportunity to shift Juno from its current orbit around Jupiter to intercept the path of 3I/ATLAS at its closest approach to Jupiter," he wrote in a blog post about his plan to learn more about the cosmic object. Another problem with using Juno to study the mysterious visitor is how much fuel it has left after being in space for 14 years. However, Loeb thinks it is possible to "rejuvenate Juno’s mission and extend its scientific lifespan beyond" and unravel the interstellar object. This move could make it clear if it indeed is an alien probe, as proposed by Loeb. Also Read: Unexplainable radio signal defying laws of universe has no clear source. 'It is a unicorn'

About the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS

Scientists are scrambling to gather as much information about the object as possible before it reaches its closest point to the Sun. The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, housing the world's largest telescope, has revealed its massive size. It is around 11 kilometres wide, making it the largest of the three objects from outer space spotted inside the solar system. The majority of scientists agree that it is a comet. Its coma, that is the cloud of ice, dust, and gas around it is approximately 24 kilometres across. Vera C. Rubin observed the object even before it was unveiled to the world, revealing that its solid nucleus is surrounded by large amounts of dust and water ice. It has also been dated as being three to 11 billion years old, around the same time the Milky Way originated, making it older than Earth and even the solar system.