Key Developments Independent teams report 3I/ATLAS brightened more than expected around Oct. 29–30 perihelion; Harvard’s Avi Loeb now pegs it “a bit above 4” on his 0–10 Loeb Scale that gauges natural vs. technological origin. The Loeb Scale Loeb says the object’s color measured near the Sun appears “blue—bluer than the Sun,” an unusual signature 3I/ATLAS brightened at perihelion, now brighter than the Sun as Avi Loeb raises Loeb Scale rating to “above 4” on his natural vs. technological framework.