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International Business Times UK
International Business Times UK
Shyna Mae Deang

3I/ATLAS to Face Its 'Acid Test'—Loeb Says Halloween Could Bring Answers

Avi Loeb Sun Harvard University NASA Earth
Mercury transiting the Sun in 2006, as imaged by the Hinode spacecraft. (Credit: JAXA/NASA/PPARC/NASA)

The interstellar object 3I/ATLAS will reach its closest point to the Sun on 29 October 2025, a moment astronomers call perihelion. This rare passage marks the midpoint of its journey through the Solar System — and, according to Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb, could finally reveal whether this mysterious visitor is a natural comet or something artificially engineered.

In a statement today, Loeb described the upcoming weeks as the object's 'acid test,' suggesting that the Sun's intense radiation will expose its true nature.

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International Business Times UK
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