Project Blue Beam explained as conspiracy resurfaces in wake of 'potentially hostile alien threat'
The news that a 'potentially hostile' alien object could be heading towards Earth has reignited an online conspiracy theory known as 'Project Blue Beam' - but what exactly is it?
In case you've missed it, a research paper was recently published which suggested that comet 3I/ATLAS could potentially be an intelligence gathering device sent by an advanced alien civilisation to monitor us.
The research - conducted by Avi Loeb, Adam Hibberd and Adam Crowl - argued that the comet's trajectory has a '0.2 percent' of being naturally occurring.
Which is certainly something to give pause.
Advert
Although Loeb ultimately concluded that 3I/ATLAS is most likely a 'completely natural interstellar object' the report has caused numerous conspiracy theories to resurface - and not all of them actually involve little green men invading from the cosmos.
According to some members of the tin foil hat brigade, the entire story about 'potentially hostile' alien spyware is completely fabricated and designed to cause panic.
But why, you ask? Well, that's where Project Blue Beam comes into play.
What is Project Blue Beam?
Project Blue Beam is a theory created by the late Canadian journalist Serge Monast in the 1990s.
Monast argued that global leaders would work together to 'fabricate' supernatural events in order to create a global totalitarian government. He also believed such events would bring about the collapse of existing world religions.
Despite the idea being three decades old, Monast passed away in 1996, Project Blue Beam floats to the top of internet chatter every now and again, usually in the aftermath of alleged viral supernatural sightings.
According to Newsweek, the topic popped up back in December 2024 after multiple drones were sighted over the state of Pennsylvania, with prominent figures such as Roseanne Barr and Alex Jones posting about the topic.
What are people saying about 3I/ATLAS and Project Blue Beam?
Unsurprisingly, the words 'potentially hostile' and 'alien' worked like tinder on the conspiracy theory bonfire, with believers in Monast's theory claiming this was the exact sign they'd been warning about for years.
In one post created by the TikTok user @Interstellardiscussion, he urged his followers to ignore any advice given by governments in emergency situations, saying: "This is the beginning and I urge you, look up Blue Beam."
Meanwhile, one person on X even claimed the story was being used as a 'distraction tactic' by President Donald Trump.
"Donald Trump would rather push Project Blue Beam than have the Epstein Files released. 'Aliens in November' my a**," they alleged.
However, not everyone is convinced by the argument, with many Redditors dismissing the topic when it was recently brought up on a paranormal subreddit.
It's also worth noting that NASA - who are supposed to be involved in the alleged Project Blue Beam fear-mongering - has been quick to quash any suggestion that an alien invasion is imminent, saying the comet is 'natural' and poses 'no threat to planet Earth'.
Brenna Cooper