Human existence on Earth is fleeting, a mere blip in the vast timeline of the universe. Our planet is a tiny speck formed from the remnants of a star we call the Sun, which itself emerged in the latter stages of cosmic history. Interestingly, most of the 100 billion stars in our Milky Way galaxy existed long before our Sun was born. In the grand cosmic scheme, our record is not particularly impressive. There remains an expansive universe filled with mysteries yet to be explored, and our ability to learn hinges on our willingness to maintain humility and an open mind.
A significant barrier to acquiring new knowledge is the arrogance of expertise. Recently, during discussions with eight podcasters and reporters, including Gadi Schwartz from NBC News and Elizabeth Vargas from NewsNation, I explored why comet specialists often dismiss alternative interpretations regarding the peculiarities of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS. I likened the rigidity of some scientists to that of artificial intelligence (AI) systems, which often reflect only the data they are trained on. If AI were trained solely on comet-related data, it would classify any object in the sky as a comet, even if it displayed anomalies.
This is why scientists categorize 1I/`Oumuamua as a ‘dark comet’—an object that defies traditional comet characteristics by exhibiting non-gravitational acceleration without visible gas or dust. Comet experts tend to overlook instances like 2020 SO, a NASA spacecraft, and the Tesla Roadster launched by SpaceX, which also behave like 'dark comets' due to their technological origins. This oversight stems from a refusal to expand their training data to include such examples, compounded by a natural resistance to new ideas that threatens established knowledge.
As we anticipate the closest approach of 3I/ATLAS to Earth on December 19, 2025, there lies a promising path ahead. In the coming weeks, we will have the opportunity to measure the speed, mass density, and composition of the jets observed around 3I/ATLAS. This data will help us investigate whether these jets are indeed the result of sublimation of icy volatiles or if they stem from technological sources. Scientific inquiry is essential for uncovering the truth, and our collective curiosity can unite us in this quest. When egos overshadow the pursuit of knowledge, we risk being divided by politics and social media.
On October 2–3, 2025, the HiRISE camera aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured remarkable images of 3I/ATLAS while it was just 29 million kilometers from Mars. In light of a congressional letter sent to NASA, Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna emphasized the need for transparency in scientific research, stating, “As the government shutdown is about to end, can NASA please release the data that was held hostage by politics for 40 days?” There is a growing public interest in the mysteries surrounding 3I/ATLAS, highlighting the demand for scientific knowledge over bureaucratic delays.
As of November 11, 2025, Earth-based observatories are set to resume their observations of 3I/ATLAS, as its angular separation from the Sun now exceeds 30 degrees. Recently, I placed a bet with Michael Shermer, executive director of the Skeptics Society, predicting that within five years—by December 31, 2030—we will obtain indisputable scientific evidence of a technological artifact from an extraterrestrial civilization. The wagered funds will support the non-profit Foundation of the Galileo Project, of which we are both members.
In my statement to the Long Now Foundation, which is overseeing the bet, I remarked, “The search for technological artifacts has just begun in earnest in 2025 with the discovery of 3I/ATLAS, the launch of the Rubin Observatory, and the establishment of three Galileo Project Observatories. Given the billions of Earth-Sun analogs in the Milky Way galaxy—many of which are billions of years older than our solar system—it is imperative that we actively pursue the search for extraterrestrial technological artifacts.” My conviction is that adopting an optimistic outlook can be a self-fulfilling prophecy, and I am passionate about seeking out what we might discover during our 'blind date' with interstellar objects.
