In July 2025 astronomers reported the discovery of 3I/ATLAS, the third certain interstellar object ever seen to move through our Solar System.
Moving at a very high speed on a hyperbolic course, it appears to come from outside our Solar System's gravitational boundaries.
Thus, it provides a stunningly uncommon opportunity to look into material created in a different star system — or even to wonder: might it hold surprises we are not ready for?
The James Webb Space Telescope's Role
On 6 August 2025 the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) pointed its Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) at 3I/ATLAS, recording infrared spectral images of its coma and gas environment.
This enabled astronomers to determine definitive molecular species, monitor outgassing, and contrast this visitor's composition with comets that had been created within the Solar System.
What Was Discovered — Unusual Chemistry, Not "Lights"
The Real Discoveries
JWST spectroscopy indicates that the 3I/ATLAS coma is carbon dioxide (CO₂) dominant over water (H₂O) with a CO₂/H₂O mixing ratio of approximately 8.0 ± 1.0, one of the highest ever measured for a comet.
The other species found are water ice, water vapor, carbon monoxide (CO) and carbonyl sulfide (OCS) — but in surprisingly low relative quantities.
The dust environment of the object, its coma morphology and outgassing activity also differ from "typical" Solar System comets.
What was not discovered
There is no confirmed detection of artificial light or "unexplained lights" on or near 3I/ATLAS.
JWST cannot discover technosignatures (such as city-lights) from remote objects; the mission and instruments are infrared light, molecules and dust-oriented, not direct imaging of artificial lighting.
The Headline Challenge — "Mysterious Lights" Evidence
The idea that "JWST just detected mysterious lights inside 3I/ATLAS" is unsupported by the peer-reviewed data or by the team's own analysis of the data.
What seems "mysterious" to most observers is the extreme CO₂/H₂O ratio — a sign of unusual origin or history, not necessarily a marker of artificial phenomena.
Some opinion and speculative articles have latched
onto the phrase "unusual chemistry" and interpreted that to mean
sensational "lights on" or alien-tech — but scientists are not
convinced. As an example, one article clearly indicates that experts labeled
alien‐technology speculation as "nonsense".
Why the Chemistry Matters
A CO₂-rich coma implies that 3I/ATLAS could have originated close to the CO₂ ice line of a distant protoplanetary disk — a zone where CO₂ freezes out as ice during the planet-building process.
Or it might have been exposed to stronger radiation than comets in the Solar System, which could have changed its volatile inventory.
By studying such out-of-our‐system objects, scientists gain insight into the diversity of planetesimal formation, migration and composition in other stellar systems.
The Possibility & Limits of “Lights On”
What it would take
If one were to search for artificial-lighting or technosignatures on such an object, you’d need:
exceptional angular resolution and sensitivity
detection of light signatures incompatible with natural outgassing/dust/thermal emission
spectroscopic discrimination of artificial vs. natural light
a big, steady light source (e.g., metropolitan areas) different from cometary activity
Why JWST can't provide this yet
JWST's infrared cameras are not built to detect narrow-band visible lights or technosignatures like radio SETI or targeted optical efforts.
The object is far and dim; any artificial light would be orders of magnitude fainter than the natural emissions and dust glare.
The "anomalies" seen may be reasonably accounted for by natural mechanisms (e.g., untypical ice structure, radiation history) without the need for intelligence.
Additional observations: As 3I/ATLAS comes into perihelion (point of closest approach to Sun) in late October 2025 (at ~1.4 AU) and then recedes, its behavior can alter; monitoring that will help to refine models.
Spectroscopic follow-up: Improved constraints on minor volatile species and dust grain characteristics can further elucidate just how "alien" its composition truly is.
Dynamics & trajectory: Improving its incoming trajectory and origin can connect its birthplace to a specific stellar neighborhood or galactic region.
Public discourse caution: Sights of "lights" or "alien tech" must be viewed sceptically until supported by peer-reviewed data and in accordance with observational capability.
The tale of 3I/ATLAS is already remarkable. A
comet‐like object from outside our Solar System, captured by JWST, exhibiting
chemistry unlike ordinary comets — that is significant.
But the title "JWST just detected mysterious
lights inside 3I/ATLAS" is inaccurate. What was detected is abnormal
chemistry and outgassing, not confirmed artificial light.
It is still quite possible that future observations
will show even more astonishing characteristics — but for the moment, the focus
is on processes in the universe, not on extraterrestrial cities.
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