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Data from radio observations of 3I/ATLAS by the Allen Telescope Array on July 2, 2025, showing a signal in both the on-beam and the off-beam panels, indicating a local interferer in the allocation allotted to fixed-satellite service (Earth-to-space). (Image credit: S. Sheikh et al. 2025)

A new paper, posted here, reports data from 7.25 hours during July 2, 2025 of radio observations of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS with the Allen Telescope Array. Within the frequency range of 1–9 GHz, there were nearly 74 million narrowband hits. After mitigating Radio Frequency Interference in the dataset, only about 2 million hits were left. These hits were further filtered by sky localization. The vast majority of them did not coincide with 3I/ATLAS on the sky. The remaining 211 hits were visually inspected in the time-frequency domain and the observers did not find any signals worthy of additional follow-up. Accounting for the radial velocity (Doppler) drift of 3I/ATLAS, the upper limit deduced on the isotropic radiated power of 3I/ATLAS is in the range 10 to 110 Watts within the observed range of radio frequencies.

The team plans to re-observe 3I/ATLAS in December 2025.

***

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Non-gravitational accelerations (top panel) and their corresponding mass loss rates (middle and bottom panels) for 3I/ATLAS. The inferred diameter of the nucleus is of order 1 kilometer. (Credit: J.C. Forbes and H. Butler 2025)

In another new preprint posted today here, the latest data on the non-gravitational acceleration of 3I/ATLAS was combined with data on its mass loss rate to conclude that the diameter of its nucleus is of order 1 kilometer. This size estimate is consistent with the value predicted in my first paper on 3I/ATLAS, published in early July here.

The estimate follows the momentum conservation equation that I posted three months ago here, where the non-gravitational acceleration results from the recoil of 3I/ATLAS -associated with a mass loss in a preferred direction.

However, there are several uncertainties that might alter this estimate considerably:

1. The non-gravitational acceleration was downsized multiple times since November 2, 2025 by NASA’s JPL-Horizons listing here. Its normalization depends on the sky-localization uncertainties assigned to telescope images of 3I/ATLAS, as well as on the model adopted for the dependance of the acceleration on distance from the Sun.

2. The momentum imparted to the nucleus of 3I/ATLAS could be dominated by the ejection of fragments of icy material (as discussed in the paper that I co-authored with Eric Keto here), rather than gas particles at their thermal speed.

3. The directionality and the ejection speed of the material from the surface of the nucleus could be different from their assumed values. Currently, there is no spectroscopic measurement of the velocity of the observed jets in images of 3I/ATLAS. Hopefully, future observations by the Webb telescope will measure the jet velocities.

4. The dominant anti-tail jet appeared to be in the direction of the Sun both before perihelion (as evident form the Hubble Space Telescope image on July 21, 2025 here) and after perihelion (as evident from the Hubble image on November 30, 2025 here). The direction of the trajectory of 3I/ATLAS was deflected by the Sun’s gravity only by 16 degrees at perihelion (based on my calculation here), and so the momentum given to the nucleus by the anti-tail jets before and after perihelion nearly cancel out. The current analysis does not take into consideration the evolution in the direction of the jets during the past 6 months.

Science is fun as a learning experience. At the end of my new podcast interview with Dr. Brian Keating (accessible here), I pointed out that some people choose to dedicate their body to science after their death. On the other hand, I choose to dedicate my body to science while I am alive.

The fascination with science was echoed in a letter that I received before my morning jog and the impending snow storm at sunrise:

“Dear Professor Loeb,

I am from Mauritius, a tiny island in the Indian Ocean.

I have been following you since the Oumuamua appearance.

I am deeply touched by your recent remarks, quoted as follows:

“The foundation of science is the humility to learn, not the arrogance of expertise”

If the scientific community were inspired by this saying, we would already have a dedicated probe near 3I/ATLAS today.

Just like I am, from where I live, an infinitely small point on the surface of the earth, the latter is also in the same situation as compared to the Universe. Consequently, humility to learn should be our natural motto in the scientific community rather than arrogance of expertise, as you rightly wrote.

Yours faithfully,

Ranjeet Kallychurn”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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(Image Credit: Chris Michel, National Academy of Sciences, 2023)

Avi Loeb is the head of the Galileo Project, founding director of Harvard University’s — Black Hole Initiative, director of the Institute for Theory and Computation at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, and the former chair of the astronomy department at Harvard University (2011–2020). He is a former member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and a former chair of the Board on Physics and Astronomy of the National Academies. He is the bestselling author of “Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth” and a co-author of the textbook “Life in the Cosmos”, both published in 2021. The paperback edition of his new book, titled “Interstellar”, was published in August 2024.

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