NASA has detected Radio echoes from 3I/ATLAS, further solidifying its formidable reputation in space exploration, Earth science, and aeronautics research. NASA continuously pushes boundaries and finds a way to provide answers even when the world believes it has reached its limits. Astronomers at the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa were the first to detect the sounds, but the specific details of where the sounds emerged from were unknown until now.
A deep dive into the journey of how the Radio echoes from 3l/ATLAS were detected
The astronomers in South Africa who detected the Radio echoes from 3l/ATLAS did not do it randomly but instead benefited from the prior work of other astronomers. Thus, for the story to be told accurately, we should analyse the concerted efforts of astronomers at different places.
On the 1st of July, astronomers at the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System successfully detected an object racing through the universe, a discovery which prompted worldwide astronomers to pay full attention. Eventually, they confirmed the object to be a comet.
Fast forward to October 2025, astronomers using South Africa’s MeerKAT radio telescope announced the first radio detection from 3l/ATLAS, which was 210 million kilometres away from the sun, the closest it has ever been. This news captured the attention of many people and left the astronomers themselves stunned because they had tried and failed to detect the Radio a month prior. Following the remarkable detection of the Radio echoes, many people have been wondering about its true origin, and in typical fashion, NASA has stepped in to reveal more information.
What is the true origin of the radio echoes detected from 3l/ATLAS according to NASA?
NASA had a few key points to tackle when investigating the origin of the radio signal. After studying 3l/ATLAS, NASA’s findings confirm that the origin of the Radio echoes is most probably beyond Earth’s solar system. If these results are accurate, then that means it is only guaranteed to pass through Earth’s solar system once. Nevertheless, the primary concern is revealing the origin of the Radio echoes, not necessarily what its origin is not.
NASA believes that 3l/ATLAS’s origin is a star system located in the thick disk of the Milky Way, considerably far above and below the thin plane where the sun is known to reside.
Radio echoes detected from 3l/ATLAS: What are its implications on Earth?
Human beings are always curious about how they might be impacted by what occurs on other planets. In the case of the Radio echoes detected from 31/ATLAS, humans will be pleased to know that they are not in any danger because the comet is not expected to ever pass through Earth’s solar system. NASA also discovered that the comet’s coma emits an extremely high amount of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, which would significantly deteriorate the Earth, considering the damage already done by its own greenhouse gas emissions.
“It’s speaking.” What is the expected aftermath following the radio echoes detected from 3l/ATLAS?
Astronomers gained the most from the emergence of 3l/ATLAS because it improved their ability to research further about the chemical composition of an object, eliminating the necessity of visible light imaging. Moving forward, NASA is expected to keep close tabs on 3l/ATLAS with the hopes of learning more about how comets react when exposed to Earth’s solar system.
The detection of radio echoes is a pivotal moment in astronomy, which ought to be treated as such, considering that there have only been two other objects discovered with interstellar origins. What is even more remarkable for astronomy in general is that it took a country with considerably fewer resources to find the radio echoes, which sheds light on how inclusive astronomy is, regardless of background.
