The theoretical physicist who has suggested that the interstellar object in our solar system could be an 'alien spaceship' has shared an update about its appearance.
While NASA and other experts in the field have written off the likelihood of alien life being present on the object, Harvard scientist Avi Loeb has continued to remain open to the prospect.
Speaking to LADbible recently, he accused NASA of 'pretending to be the adults in the room' instead of investigating the possibilities that 3I/ATLAS presents as it is currently making its way around the Sun.
Loeb said that he doesn't usually regret what he says, suggesting that the comet could represent more than meets the eye, refusing to rule out any possibilities.
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But in a recent blog post, the scientist explained that the terrestrial object was demonstrating more odd behaviour.
It has just passed the closest point it'll get to the Sun, being around 130 million miles away, as 3I/ATLAS will reach its closest point to Earth on 19 December (around 170 million miles).
Speaking in an article posted last week, the physics expert said that the best image of the object was 'never released' by NASA despite him requesting one, as he noticed that it was mysteriously accelerating and letting out a shade of blue. Loeb suggested this could be evidence of an alien 'engine'.
He noted that the object 'appears distinctly bluer than the Sun in LASCO/CCOR-1 color photometry - in contrast to earlier observations showing it to be red', which Loeb said could indicate that emission counts for a large fraction of its visible brightness.
While NASA observed that the object had an unusual acceleration, which may be the outgassing that most comets experience, the Harvard scientist suggested: "Alternatively, the non-gravitational acceleration might be the technological signature of an internal engine."
He said that it may explain the blue hue being let out by the object as the colour 'is very surprising', before going on to say how the appearance of the object should appear.
"Dust is expected to redden the scattered sunlight, and the surface of 3I/ATLAS is expected to be ~20 times colder than the 5,800 degrees Kelvin at the photosphere of the Sun, resulting in it having a redder colour than the Sun," Loeb said, adding that its appearance is a 'ninth anomaly' among its properties.
The physicist said it could be a 'hot engine or source of artificial light', or it could be the ionised carbon monoxide of a regular comet.
Scientists will no doubt be observing the skies on 19 December to confirm if the object is indeed a comet or something closer to what Loeb is suggesting.
In another blog post, he added: "If we do not observe a massive cloud of gas around 3I/ATLAS in December, it could point to the presence of a propulsion system."
NASA's Acting Administrator Sean Duffy took to social media to highlight: "NASA's observations show that this is the third interstellar comet to pass through our solar system," while answering a question from Kim Kardashian on the object, saying there will be 'no aliens' and that it will pose 'no threat' to life on Earth.
Joshua Nair