
Is it just a comet, or is it an alien 'mothership' using the Sun as a hiding spot? That is the provocative question surrounding interstellar object 3I/ATLAS.
The mysterious visitor from another star system is set to reach its perihelion, its closest point to the Sun, on 29 October. It just passed its solar conjunction, placing it on the exact opposite side of the Sun from Earth, conveniently out of sight.