CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A leading scientific group searching for extraterrestrial life has concluded that a recently observed interstellar comet shows no evidence of artificial or alien technology.
The SETI Institute reported that extensive radio observations conducted using a telescope in Northern California detected no technosignatures or signals associated with non-natural sources from the object known as 3I/Atlas.
The comet, discovered last year as it passed through the inner solar system, was identified by scientists as an interstellar object originating from outside our solar system. While most researchers classified it as a natural comet, some speculative claims had suggested it could be linked to intelligent life, though no evidence supported such theories.
It is only the third known interstellar object to be detected passing through the solar system, and all have been determined to be of natural origin.
During its closest approach, 3I/Atlas passed within 30 million kilometers of Mars in October and later came within about 269 million kilometers of Earth in December, according to earlier observations involving NASA spacecraft.
The SETI Institute said it conducted more than seven hours of radio monitoring shortly after the object’s discovery in July, scanning a broad range of frequencies. Researchers initially identified nearly 74 million narrow-band signals, but most were later attributed to human-made interference or satellite activity.
After filtering out known sources, only a small fraction of signals remained, all of which were traced back to Earth-based technology or orbiting satellites, the institute said. The findings were published in the Astronomical Journal.
Researchers noted that the results demonstrate the sensitivity of current detection methods and reinforce the importance of continued searches for technosignatures beyond Earth.
Lead author Sofia Sheikh said that future interstellar exploration, including human-made probes such as NASA’s Voyager spacecraft, highlights the possibility that artificial objects could eventually travel between star systems.
Scientists estimate 3I/Atlas measures between 440 meters and 5.6 kilometers in size and may be as old as 11 billion years, making it potentially twice as old as the Sun. The object is now traveling back into interstellar space and is not expected to return.
Paraluman P. Funtanilla
Paraluman P. Funtanilla is Tutubi News Magazine's Marketing Specialist and is a Contributing Editor. She finished her degree in Communication Arts in De La Salle Lipa. She has worked as a Digital Marketer for start-up businesses and small business spaces for the past two years. She has earned certificates from Coursera on Brand Management: Aligning Business Brand and Behavior and Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content. She also worked with Asia Express Romania TV Show.
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla
