A mysterious visitor from beyond our solar system is forcing astronomers to question everything they know about comets. In recent weeks, 3I/ATLAS, the interstellar comet currently traversing our solar system, has behaved in ways that even veteran scientists find deeply puzzling.
At the centre of the debate is Avi Loeb, the Harvard astrophysicist who invented the Loeb Scale, who says these anomalies may be telling us this object is far more unusual than initially believed. Professor Loeb has suggested that the comet's latest behaviour may merit raising its Loeb Scale rating, signalling that conventional, natural explanations are growing increasingly strained.
