An astrophysicist from Harvard, Avi Loeb, has proposed an intriguing hypothesis that an advanced extraterrestrial civilization could use interstellar comets as natural transport for long journeys. He bases his reasoning on the characteristics of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS.
In the last ten years, astronomers have observed only three interstellar objects that have entered our Solar System. The comet 3I/ATLAS, which is over one kilometer in size and moving at a speed of over 60 kilometers per second, is the largest and fastest among them.
Loeb suggests that such comets could serve as "hitchhiking" vehicles for travel between stars. He expresses the opinion that extraterrestrial civilizations might hide small spacecraft inside comets, using the objects themselves for camouflage and to obtain necessary resources.
One of the factors supporting this idea is data obtained from the solar observatory SOHO, which recorded a strong hydrogen outburst from the surface of 3I/ATLAS. According to rough estimates, the comet could have lost about 13.5 million tons of water in a month. Loeb believes that this water could be used for electrolysis, producing hydrogen and oxygen that could serve as rocket fuel.
This fuel reserve could allow the spacecraft to change its trajectory and reach planetary systems. The scientist does not rule out that some of the detected hydrogen is related to such processes.
Additionally, Loeb emphasizes the strange features of the comet's trajectory and behavior. It moves almost in the plane of the orbits of the planets in our Solar System, and its axis of rotation is directed towards the Sun even at significant distances. The jets of material ejected by the comet appear symmetrical. An abnormally high ratio of nickel to iron has also been found in the composition of the comet. All these facts can be explained by natural processes, but taken together, they allow for alternative interpretations.
Loeb asserts that placing a technological device inside a comet would provide an important advantage: such a device would be nearly indistinguishable from an ordinary celestial body during remote observations.
The scientist believes that directly studying 3I/ATLAS could confirm the presence of an energy source inside the comet, necessary for the operation of the hypothetical device and fuel production. Discovering such facts could radically change our understanding of interstellar travel.
In the future, humanity could apply a similar approach. This would require finding a suitable interstellar object and sending an autonomous device with a power source and an artificial intelligence system to it. Such a device would be able to function without communication with Earth and use the natural object for travel between stars.
