3I/ATLAS
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Today marks a celestial moment of truth. As the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS reaches its closest point to the Sun, a controversial theory faces its final test: is it just a comet, or an alien spacecraft in disguise? This is the day we might find out if astronomer Avi Loeb's spectacular claims hold any water.

The 'Alien' Hypothesis: Why One Astronomer Thinks It's Not a Comet

The claim that 3I/ATLAS is an alien vessel comes from astronomer Avi Loeb. He has previously, and baselessly, suggested the first interstellar object, 1I/'Oumuamua, was also an alien craft. Loeb's other claims include recovering 'alien tech', which later turned out to be Earth-based pollution and truck vibrations.

Since 3I/ATLAS's discovery on 1 July, Loeb has called his analysis a 'pedagogical exercise', treating the comet as an alien ship. He recently warned, 'If you want to take a vacation, take it before [October 29], because who knows what will happen?'.

'Zero Evidence': What Mainstream Science Says About 3I/ATLAS

Despite Loeb's claims, there is categorically zero evidence that the object is anything other than a comet. SETI (search for extraterrestrial intelligence) and NASA have consistently rejected the hypothesis.

While the comet has rare peculiarities, like an anti-tail, these are not unprecedented and do not suggest an artificial origin.

Today's Test: Will the Comet Perform an 'Oberth Manoeuvre'?

But let's take the exercise seriously. Today is the day to test it. Loeb claims the comet might reveal its artificial nature by performing an Oberth manoeuvre, a technique spacecraft use to accelerate or change direction by firing an engine in a gravity well.

The comet will be 203 million kilometres (126 million miles) from the Sun today. This is its moment of maximum kinetic energy; if it's going to make an unnatural move, now is the time.

Watching from Deep Space: How We Will Know the Truth

The comet is currently on the other side of the Sun from Earth, but will be visible again before dawn in the coming days. More importantly, the European Space Agency's JUICE mission will observe it from deep space on Sunday.

If the object deviates from its predicted path, we will know. This should, according to reports, be the final word on this 'alien spacecraft' hypothesis.

More Interesting Than Aliens: A 'Time Capsule' Older Than Our Sun

Ultimately, why would super-advanced aliens build a comet-like ship, only to reveal themselves millions of kilometres from Earth? As British writer Douglas Adams said: 'Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?'.

This comet is extraordinary in itself; it is older than the Solar System, with new research suggesting it might be twice as old.

The Final Word: Science Poised to Settle the Debate

'I think that what it actually is is probably more interesting than what we can imagine it to be because it's like a time capsule from a different era', Colin Wilson, of the European Space Agency, told IFLScience.

'I would love for us to be able to visit it... and take a sample and bring it back'. Extraordinary claims can be dismantled by simple experiments. If the comet continues in its cometary path, as expected, the alien hypothesis should be put to rest for good.

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