Interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, which has intrigued astronomers since its discovery in July, is expected to reach its closest distance to the Sun — or its perihelion, coming within just 126 million miles of our star — today.

And according to outspoken Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb, it’s the perfect moment to find out whether the object was indeed send by an alien civilization, a far-fetched theory he’s proffered that defies the widely-held belief that 3I/ATLAS is a comet largely made up of carbon dioxide ice.

In a blog post, Loeb argued that its perihelion is the “optimal time for either acceleration or deceleration by an impulse from an engine, thanks to the gravitational assist from the Sun,” in what he calls the ultimate “acid test.”

He’s even suggested that the object could release “min

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