Scientists probe Comet 3I/ATLAS, find no signs of alien life
Last summer, a NASA-funded asteroid impact warning system detected a mysterious object hurtling through the solar system.
Scientists determined that the object entered the solar system from deep space, making it the third object known to have come from another star system.
NASA called this Comet 3I/ATLAS He said he posed no threat. But the discovery in July sparked wild speculation that the object was a piece of extraterrestrial technology, perhaps even an alien spacecraft.
The SETI Institute, a nonprofit organization that studies the origins of life and searches for extraterrestrial intelligence, said this week that a team of scientists used a radio telescope to detect signals on the comet that could indicate extraterrestrial life.
But they found none.
“Although observations strongly indicate that 3I/ATLAS is a natural object, interstellar visitors are also compelling technosignature targets because an artificial object – although unlikely – could represent detectable extraterrestrial technology and potentially provide the first evidence of life beyond Earth,” the institute said. newsletter.
SETI scientists said they used: Allen Telescope Array at the Hat Creek Radio Observatory in Northern California to scan the object for seven hours, covering the spectrum from 1 to 9 gigahertz.
“This wide range allows scientists to look for narrowband radio signals that are not produced in nature and may be evidence of the technology,” he said in the news release.
The team detected about 74 million narrowband signals, but ultimately they were traced back to technology on the Earth’s surface or on orbiting satellites, the institute said.
“The results of 3I/ATLAS show how realistic it is to detect a signal with the technology we have today,” said Valeria Garcia Lopez, one of the scientists on the SETI team. “Therefore, it is important to continue looking for technosignatures, even from objects we might not expect to receive signals.”
Researchers can learn more about the natural properties of interstellar objects orbiting our solar system, the institute said.
“As more interstellar objects are discovered, each presents a new opportunity to survey the cosmos for technosignatures, improving our understanding of both natural and possible technological events beyond our Solar System,” SETI said in the statement.
