In August 1977, the Big Ear radio telescope in Ohio picked up a powerful signal that astronomers labeled "Wow!" because of its extraordinary intensity. For nearly half a century, the signal remained a mystery, never to be detected again. Now, Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb has proposed a hypothesis that could upend our understanding of the phenomenon. He believes the source of the mysterious message could be the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, currently passing through our solar system.
Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS was discovered on July 1, 2025, by NASA's ATLAS telescope network, designed to track potentially hazardous asteroids. It is the third interstellar body discovered by astronomers, following the asteroid Oumuamua in 2017 and Comet Borisov in 2019. However, 3I/ATLAS is distinguished by a series of anomalies that have researchers concerned.
Loeb estimated the probability of the object's artificial origin at forty percent. He based his theory on the comet's many unusual features, including its controlled trajectory, which allowed it to evade telescopic detection at its closest approach to the Sun. The object also has an unusual chemical composition, and its size—about twenty kilometers across—is a million times larger than Oumuamua and a thousand times larger than Comet Borisov.
A key element of the hypothesis is a striking coincidence. The direction from which the "Wow!" signal originated in 1977 aligns with the trajectory of 3I/ATLAS's approach to the Solar System to within nine degrees. The probability that two random directions in the sky align so precisely is only six-tenths of a percent. If the signal were indeed from 3I/ATLAS, the object would need a power source of between half a gigawatt and two gigawatts—the equivalent of a typical nuclear reactor on Earth.
Loeb turned to leading radio observatories, such as the South African MeerKAT telescope, to determine whether the strange object was emitting radio waves. In October 2025, MeerKAT detected the first radio signal associated with 3I/ATLAS—absorption at frequencies of hydroxyl radicals. This is a characteristic comet phenomenon, occurring when solar radiation interacts with evaporating material from the core. However, even this standard signal can conceal anomalies that require detailed study.
The decisive experiment is scheduled for March 16, 2026, when 3I/ATLAS will fly by within 53 million kilometers of Jupiter. At this point, Juno, in orbit around the gas giant, will conduct a targeted search. Using a dipole antenna, it will scan the object in the low-frequency range of 50 hertz to 40 megahertz. If 3I/ATLAS has active electronics or generates low-frequency emissions, Juno has a good chance of detecting it.
Russian researcher Nathan Eismont of the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences dismissed Loeb's theory, noting that the American scientist never proved his estimates. However, Loeb emphasized that while the object's natural origin is most likely, the enormous implications of possible contact with alien technology require taking this possibility seriously.
This story symbolizes a paradigm shift in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. Astronomers have moved beyond looking solely at distant stars to understand that the evidence may be literally right in our cosmic backyard—in the form of strange objects visiting our solar system. Testing the connection between 3I/ATLAS and the "Wow!" signal is a test of a bold new methodology that, regardless of the outcome, will forever change our understanding of where and how to search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
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