Скачать или смотреть First Detection of Interstellar Hydroxyl Radicals from 3I/ATLAS by MeerKAT Radio Telescope

The South African Radio Astronomy Observatory's MeerKAT radio telescope has detected the first radio absorption lines from the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, caused by hydroxyl radicals (OH molecules). The observation, made on October 24, 2025, revealed two spectral lines at 1.665 and 1.667 GHz with Doppler velocity shifts of -15.59 and -15.65 km/s, respectively. This discovery marks the first radio detection of 3I/ATLAS and provides valuable insights into the object's properties, including its thermal speed and surface temperature. The author, Avi Loeb, previously suggested searching for radio emissions from 3I/ATLAS, given its coincidence with the Wow! Signal's arrival direction. The next opportunity to detect 3I/ATLAS will be on March 16, 2026, when the Juno spacecraft will search for radio signals at low frequencies.