How to spot 'potentially hostile alien threat' that can now be seen from Earth
The 'potentially hostile alien threat' that has been at the centre of much debate among scientists will now be visible from Earth as the mystery object moves away from the Sun.
You might be familiar with 3I/ATLAS, the extraterrestrial comet that has been bamboozling scientists ever since it was spotted hurtling through space in July.
Despite being labelled as a comet from another solar system by NASA, one scientist in particular has been vocal in expressing his belief that the object could actually be a sign of alien life, due to the object's unusual behaviour.
Harvard theoretical physicist Avi Loeb has claimed the interstellar object could be an alien spaceship and suggested it may reveal itself while peeking behind the Sun, out of view from Earth, in the last two weeks.
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Last week 3I/ATLAS reached perihelion, the closest point it would ever get to the Sun, and now the object is moving away from the sphere of hot plasma and is once again visible from our planet.
How can I see 3I/ATLAS?
If curiosity has gotten the better of you and you want to catch a glimpse of the controversial space rock for yourself, all you need is a telescope or a good pair of binoculars.
You'll need to get up early (or stay up very late, depending on your lifestyle) so you can see the sky before dawn, but luckily November will be a good month for visibility when it comes to seeing the object.
“November will be the ideal month to observe Comet 3I/ATLAS, a rare interstellar visitor that will shine near Venus and the bright star Spica in Virgo," Dr Franck Marchis, senior astronomer and director of citizen science at the SETI Institute, told IFLScience.
When it comes to actually finding the comet, you can use stargazing apps like SkySafari, Stellarium or Sky Tonight, if you don't know how to use a stellar map.
"Comets are unpredictable, so their brightness may change after perihelion — meaning this might be your best chance to catch it," Marchis added.
Meanwhile, despite NASA continuously insisting the comet poses no threat to Earth, Loeb has accused the American space agency of 'pretending to be the adults in the room' instead of investigating the possibility that there is more than meets the eye to the object.
He claims NASA didn't release the best images it had captured of 3I/ATLAS in a bid to cover up any suggestion it provided evidence of an 'alien engine'.
Emma Rosemurgey