Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Is Spraying Water Across the Solar System

Radio scans find no alien tech from the latest interstellar comet

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The group leading the charge in the search for extraterrestrial life has given the all clear: An interstellar comet looks to be completely natural and free of any alien tech. The SETI Institute said Wednesday that extensive radio scans by its telescope in Northern California found no signs of otherworldly technology from our solar system’s latest interstellar visitor. The object labeled 3I/Atlas was discovered last su…

The SETI Institute Releases Technosignature Report on 3I/ATLAS

Scientists at the SETI Institute searched for technological signals from 3I/ATLAS, the third interstellar object observed in our Solar System. Using the Allen Telescope Array (ATA) at the Hat Creek Radio Observatory in Northern California, the team scanned a wide range of radio frequencies for signs of extraterrestrial technology and found none, as expected based on other astronomical observations showing that the object exhibits natural comet-l…

NASA's James Webb Discovers That 3I/ATLAS Let One Rip as It Passed Through Solar System

The mysterious interstellar object 3I/ATLAS fascinated scientists as it made its way through the inner solar system last year, closely passing by several planets before careening back into space, never to be seen again. Researchers continue to pore over the treasure trove of data ground- and space-based telescopes gathered about the object, which affords an extremely rare up-close glimpse at an object from beyond our star system. Most recently, …

The SETI Institute Searched For Signs of Technology From 3I/ATLAS—a New Paper Reveals What They Found

Astronomers from around the world were fascinated last year when 3I/ATLAS, the third interstellar object ever observed passing through our Solar System, was discovered. The SETI Institute was one of the many organizations that examined the unusual interstellar object, conducting a comprehensive search for any signs that it might be producing technological signals. Using the Allen Telescope Array (ATA) at the Hat Creek Radio Observatory in Northe…

Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is spraying water across the solar system

For millions of years, a frozen wanderer drifted between the stars before slipping into our solar system as 3I/ATLAS—only the third known interstellar comet ever spotted. When scientists turned NASA’s Swift Observatory toward it, they caught the first-ever hint of water from such an object, detected through a faint ultraviolet glow of hydroxyl gas. Even more surprising, the comet was blasting out water at a rate of about 40 kilograms per second …

Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Reveals Strange Chemistry Beyond Our Solar System

An interstellar comet just revealed hidden methane and chemical clues from another star system. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has achieved another milestone by capturing the first mid-infrared chemical fingerprint of an interstellar object. The observations focused on comet 3I/ATLAS, a rare visitor from beyond our solar system, and the findings have been published in [...]