A historic discovery by South Africa’s MeerKAT radio telescope has transformed scientific understanding of the interstellar comet 31/ATLAS, marking the first time a radio signal has ever been detected from an object originating outside our solar system.
This fast-moving wanderer, officially known as 3I/ATLAS, had already captivated astronomers worldwide—and MeerKAT’s breakthrough has only intensified the excitement.
A New Era in Interstellar Exploration
The signal detection came just days before the comet’s closest approach to the Sun. According to astronomers, MeerKAT identified two radio frequencies—1,665 and 1,667 MHz—corresponding to hydroxyl (OH) radicals produced when sunlight breaks apart water molecules.
“This is the first radio whisper from an interstellar object—we’re listening to a traveler that began its journey billions of years ago,” one researcher noted.
MeerKAT’s achievement followed its recent detection of 30 new radio transient pulsars, underscoring its expanding role in deep-space discovery.
