Astronomers have confirmed that Comet 31/ATLAS, once a hot topic on social media and even on The Joe Rogan Experience, is a naturally occurring interstellar comet, not an alien probe.

Using South Africa’s MeerKAT radio telescope, scientists detected the first-ever radio signal from the object, finally putting to rest weeks of speculation and conspiracy theories about its origin.

The First Radio Signal from 31/ATLAS

On October 24, 2025, researchers using the MeerKAT telescope detected a distinct radio signal from Comet 31/ATLAS as it neared its closest approach to the Sun, or perihelion. The signal wasn’t a mysterious alien message, but a chemical fingerprint of water being vaporized—a clear indicator of natural cometary activity.

“The radio signature is exactly what we’d expect from a water-rich comet,” one astronomer explained. “It tells us this object is behaving in a completely natural way — there’s nothing alien about it.”

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The signal was produced by hydroxyl radicals (OH molecules), formed when ultraviolet sunlight breaks apart water molecules in the comet’s coma—the gas and dust cloud surrounding its icy core. This discovery, reported by Science News and WIRED, confirms the object’s cometary nature and settles one of astronomy’s most viral debates.

Joe Rogan’s Skepticism and the Alien Debate

Interest in 31/ATLAS exploded online after being featured on Joe Rogan’s podcast, where Rogan and Elon Musk discussed the object’s strange behavior and the public’s fascination with alien theories.

Rogan expressed skepticism about claims that the comet could be an alien probe, saying that irregularities in its motion likely had natural explanations, not extraterrestrial ones.

His caution stood in contrast to Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb, who has suggested that both ʻOumuamua and 31/ATLAS might be examples of alien technology. However, the new radio data, as noted by Loeb himself, “strongly supports a cometary origin.”

NASA and ATLAS: How the Discovery Unfolded

NASA first announced 3I/ATLAS on July 2, 2025, identifying it as only the third interstellar object ever observed, following 1I/ʻOumuamua (2017) and 2I/Borisov (2019).

The discovery was made by the Asteroid Terrestrial Impact Alert System (ATLAS), a NASA-funded project run by the University of Hawaii. Using a network of four telescopes in Hawaii, Chile, and South Africa, ATLAS scans the sky for objects that could pose threats to Earth or provide insight into cosmic events.

Subsequent global observations confirmed that 31/ATLAS was traveling too fast to be captured by the Sun’s gravity. It will continue its journey through the solar system before disappearing into interstellar space, never to return.

Why It Matters

The confirmation of 31/ATLAS’s natural origin isn’t just about debunking alien myths—it’s a scientific breakthrough. The detection of water and hydroxyl radicals proves that chemical processes tied to life’s building blocks occur beyond our solar system.

By studying interstellar comets, astronomers can gain insight into how water and organic molecules form in distant planetary systems, offering a glimpse into the galaxy’s chemical diversity.

As one researcher summarized, “Objects like 31/ATLAS are cosmic messengers—they carry the history of other star systems, and by studying them, we understand our own origins a little better.”

Relevant Links

Everything We Know About the Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS | WIRED

Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Is Spewing Water Like a Cosmic Fire Hydrant | WIRED

3I/ATLAS: First Ever Radio Signals Detected From Interstellar Comet? Here’s What It Means - Science

Radio Signal From 3I/ATLAS Stuns Astronomers | Watch