Latest updates on 3I/ATLAS: First radio signal, strange jets and more
3I/ATLAS has been displaying several mysterious features ever since it emerged from the Sun's glare. There have also been other revelations about it, such as the first radio signal and how it is no longer the same piece of rock it once was due to space radiation.
3I/ATLAS photo shows a growing tail
3I/ATLAS has emerged from the Sun's glare and is becoming visible in the morning sky. Ground-based telescopes and space telescopes are now able to see it. Latest images of the comet show its tail is growing longer. Gianluca Masi, of the Virtual Telescope Project, shared photos he took over a few days, showing the interstellar comet's tail growing longer.
3I/ATLAS became visible as a glowing ball without a tail
3I/ATLAS reached perihelion on October 29-30. Near the Sun, it displayed some mysterious characteristics. As astronomers continued to follow it, they saw even more strange things. While some say these features are typical of comets and nothing special, others think they are indicators of something bigger at play that we can't see
Strange jet structure from 3I/ATLAS
One of them is the strange jet structure. Pictures taken by M. Jäger, G. Rhemann and E. Prosperi show several jets shooting from 3I/ATLAS. It shows a large glowing halo extending out to half a million kilometres, Harvard professor Avi Loeb said, and at least 7 distinct jets, some of which are anti-tails in the sunward direction.
Anti-tail jets and a larger tail seen on 3I/ATLAS
Another picture taken by Frank Niebling and Michael Buchner on November 9 shows two anti-tail jets towards the Sun, with one larger tail in the other direction. The multiple jets have intrigued scientists, although they say 3I/ATLAS is behaving exactly like a comet.
3I/ATLAS beams radio signal near Sun
We also learnt about the first radio signal detected from 3I/ATLAS. This happened on October 24, 2025, when it was near the Sun. However, the revelation was only recently made on November 8. The MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa picked up radio absorption lines by hydroxyl radicals, namely OH molecules, coming from the interstellar object.
Could 3I/ATLAS be linked to the Wow! Signal?
However, these signals are not evidence of an extraterrestrial machine at work. This is the first radio detection from the interstellar object since it was discovered on July 1. Could this be linked to the Wow! Signal detected in 1977?
3I/ATLAS was battered by radiation and is no longer the same piece of rock
A study by a team of astronomers from Belgium and the USA has revealed that 3I/ATLAS is now a battered and bruised version of itself after travelling through the stars for billions of years. Space radiation has altered it while it still holds pristine material from the past inside it, which likely remain untouched.
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