3I/ATLAS, the third interstellar object ever detected, will make its closest approach to Earth on Friday, offering astronomers a rare opportunity to study it from a distance of about 170 million miles. Since its discovery in July, most scientists have identified the object as a comet, while some researchers point to anomalies that could perhaps indicate it has an artificial origin. Conspiracy theories surrounding 3I/ATLAS have flooded the internet over the past few months, and we're about to find out if any of them are right. The timing of a report indicating that at least six world governments are conducting planetary defense drills coinciding with the object's journey through the solar system has fueled speculation that these exercises may be connected to the uncertainty with 3I/ATLAS. So what exactly is passing through our cosmic neighborhood... a natural comet, an artificial object, or something else entirely? Tonight, Jeremy Scott fills in for Clyde Lewis and is joined by Harvard University Professor of Science Avi Loeb, along with astronomer and photo/video analyst Marc D’Antonio, for a conversation about “All I's on ATLAS.”
