Solar flares could have accelerated the mysterious object that is flying toward Earth

Flares on the far side of the Sun and the plasma ejected as a result could have accelerated the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS.

As reported by BAKU.WS with reference to Gazeta.ru, this was announced by the Laboratory of Solar Astronomy at the Space Research Institute (IKI) of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

According to scientists, the cosmic object should have been hit by at least five large solar ejections between October 23 and 27. The most noticeable impact could have been on October 24, caused by a strong X-class flare registered on the far side of the Sun two days earlier.

According to calculations, on December 19, 2025, 3I/ATLAS will approach Earth at a minimum distance of about 267 million km. Then, as the scientist believes, it will become clearer whether the object has an artificial nature. Jokingly, he added that "perhaps 3I/ATLAS will send mini-probes to humanity as Christmas gifts."

The interstellar object 3I/ATLAS was noticed on July 1. Loeb explained that it is an ancient comet with a coma about 24 km in diameter and over 7.5 billion years old—three billion years older than the Sun. The scientist also noted the "anomalous color change" and self-luminescence of 3I/ATLAS, which, according to him, could indicate the presence of an energy source of unclear origin.