The Blogs: Comet 3I/ATLAS: A Wake-Up Call for Humanity and Space Exploration | Rafi Glick

Comet 3I/ATLAS: A Wake-Up Call for Humanity and Space Exploration.

The interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS is not just another unusual comet.

It is a strange neighbor that temporarily entered our solar system, approached Earth as closely as December 19, and is now receding—unlikely to return for hundreds of millions of years. Its very appearance forces humanity to pause and confront how small, vulnerable—and above all, unprepared—we truly are.

The central question posed by 3I/ATLAS is not whether life exists elsewhere in the universe, but how many worlds similar to our own already exist. Current estimates suggest that the Milky Way alone may host around one billion Earth-like planets.

In just the past decade, three interstellar objects have been identified passing through our solar system: ʻOumuamua (2017), Borisov (2019), and now 3I/ATLAS (2025). With the completion and full calibration of the world’s most powerful survey telescope—the Vera Rubin Observatory—we are likely to detect such interstellar visitors at a rate of one every few months.

This new reality demands global analysis and preparedness—not only scientific, but also cultural, educational, and strategic.

1. Anomalies Are Not Proof — They Are a Wake-Up Call:

Over the past months, roughly fifteen anomalies have been identified in the behavior of 3I/ATLAS that cannot be fully explained using standard models of comets originating within our solar system.

It is crucial to emphasize: anomalies are not “proof.” They are signals that require examination within a broader and more complex framework.

Direct comparisons between local solar-system bodies and interstellar objects can be misleading. 3I/ATLAS is likely 8–13 billion years old—older than our solar system itself. There is no reason to expect it to conform to models derived from observations of much younger objects.

A clear illustration comes from the DART experiment. When a NASA spacecraft deliberately collided with the asteroid Dimorphos, the resulting debris was documented by the small Italian spacecraft LICIACube. Subsequent analysis conducted under ESA missions revealed that the debris behaved in ways that diverged from established theoretical expectations.

In other words, even with “local” objects, we encounter unexpected behavior. All the more so when dealing with an ancient interstellar body.

2. Natural or Technological? Not Probability — A Cumulative Process:

The question of whether an object is natural or technologically influenced cannot be resolved through popular probability rankings.

This is not a smooth spectrum of “more natural” versus “more technological,” but a cumulative scientific process of collecting, analyzing, and weighing evidence.

One can think of it as a set of scales: on one side, findings supporting a natural explanation; on the other, anomalous observations. Only when clear, robust evidence accumulates does a conclusion emerge—a process that may take months or even years.

Even a very low probability—one percent or less—justifies preparedness. The potential scientific, and possibly cultural, implications are enormous. Some of the data from 3I/ATLAS has yet to arrive, and analyzing what has already been collected is expected to take considerable time.

3. What Is Truly Missing: A Global Strategy:

The central problem is not 3I/ATLAS itself, but the absence of a global institutional framework for dealing with interstellar objects.

Astrophysics as an academic field must expand, and this knowledge must flow into educational systems and reach younger generations who are currently making decisions about their future paths. Instead of theoretical disputes, a new institutional approach is required: a global strategy for interstellar objects, analogous to existing planetary-defense mechanisms.

The natural framework for such coordination is the United Nations, which already hosts international mechanisms for monitoring cosmic threats. This approach does not depend on what the object ultimately turns out to be, but on what can be learned from it, how it should be assessed, and which tools are needed for prediction and decision-making.

4. Every Encounter Is a One-Time Opportunity:

Even without determining whether the phenomenon is natural or artificial, the scientific opportunities are extraordinary:

-Transmitting data and information that may continue traveling through interstellar space.

-Collecting ancient information—an object like this may have “seen” Mars billions of years ago, when water and potentially life existed there.

-Sending signals of goodwill as a scientific-cultural exercise, not a declaration.

-Turning the object into a mobile  research platform using cameras, sensors, and detectors.

-Employing long-term technologies such as lasers, radio signals, and interstellar communication methods, as I proposed in earlier articles in October 2025

-An interstellar body like 3I/ATLAS

releases jets of dust and gas over hundreds of thousands  kilometers during a journey spanning billions of kilometers through the solar system. It disperses vast quantities of material, some of which reaches Earth’s atmosphere and other planetary bodies.

-Even if only a small number of interstellar objects pass through the solar system each year, over its lifetime trillions of such bodies would have traversed it, dispersing thousands of quadrillions of tons of material.

Not Answers — But a Process:

There are no final answers here, nor should there be.

This is not a task for a single researcher or a single nation, but a collective effort involving astrophysicists, space engineers, philosophers of science, and policymakers.

The challenge posed by 3I/ATLAS is not whether it is “alien.”

It is whether humanity is capable of thinking, organizing, and acting on an interstellar scale—and over the long term.

Rafi Glick is a writer, lecturer, farmer, and business executive with decades of experience at the intersection of academia, technology, agriculture, and international trade.
• He has served as a Senior Teaching Associate at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Ono Academic College, Ariel University, Ruppin Academic Center, and as a guest lecturer at Sofia University’s Faculty of Economics and Business Administration (FEBA). At Ben-Gurion University he also advised the BGU–NHSA Accelerator in the Faculty of Science.
• In business, Rafi was CEO of Bidsnet Ltd., a pioneer in deploying fiber-optic cables through unconventional infrastructure (in partnership with CableRunner), delivering high-speed connectivity to homes, enterprises, institutions, and cellular networks. Earlier he held senior roles at ECI Telecom and served on the board of RLF Venture Capital, working with partners such as Intel, Teva, and the Jerusalem Development Authority.
• He contributed extensively to Israel’s trade and investment ecosystem: he directed industrial and agricultural technology divisions at the Israel Export Institute, founded Israel’s AGRITECH as international exhibition, and served on the board of the Israeli Investment Center at the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
• In his early career, Rafi established and served as the first director of the Cargo and Aircraft Supply Security Department in the Security Division at Ben-Gurion Airport (1972–1976). He lived in Kibbutz Parod until 1974.
• Rafi has also been recognized for his writing: in 2008 he was named Best Economic Blogger by TheMarker, Israel’s leading business daily.
• Today he continues to publish essays and commentary—with a special passion for astrophysics, space exploration, technology, economics, and social issues.
From Kibbutz Parod to the global stage, Rafi Glick’s career reflects a lifelong commitment to building connections—between people, industries, and ideas.
Email: rafi.glick@gmail.com

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