3I/ATLAS Just SENT a Signal Toward the Moon – And It ANSWERED Back

Recently, an explosive rumor has been spreading throughout social media and speculative science communities: the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS supposedly sent a signal to the Moon — and within minutes, the Moon "responded." The narrative sounds like a science-fiction variation: a guest from outside of our solar system attempting to communicate, and our lunar neighbor responding.

But is this sensational claim valid? Here in this article, let's see what 3I/ATLAS is, what evidence (or lack thereof) for such radio signals exists, how or why such a claim could have been made, and what science has to say.

1. What Is 3I/ATLAS?

Discovery & Classification

3I/ATLAS was discovered on 1 July 2025 by the ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) survey in Chile.

The object follows a hyperbolic path, i.e., its route through space is not fixed to the Sun — thus it is an interstellar object (the "3I" indicates it is the third confirmed interstellar visitor).

During follow-up observations, 3I/ATLAS proved to have a weak coma and tail, features of a comet.

Composition and Activity

JWST observations showed the coma of the object to be CO₂ dominated, with outgassing of other volatiles such as H₂O, CO, OCS, and dust.

Water (as OH emission) was also observed using ultraviolet imaging (with Swift), suggesting active sublimation of the ice despite the fact that 3I/ATLAS was still fairly far from the Sun.

Spectroscopic investigation indicates the existence of water ice grains and a dust content akin to D-type asteroids.

Trajectory and Future Path

The trajectory of the object will take it past Mars, then in front of the Sun, subsequently close to Venus, Earth (albeit at a distance), and even Jupiter before leaving the solar system.

Notably: 3I/ATLAS does not get close enough to Earth to be any threat whatsoever.

In brief: 3I/ATLAS is a cometary-type interstellar traveler, shedding gas and dust when solar heating becomes hotter, but otherwise a "normal" (if unusual) visitor from elsewhere in our system.

2. The Claim: Transmitting a Message to the Moon and Receiving an Answer

This is where things get speculative — and not supported by reliable science.

What's the Origin of the Claim?

The claim seems to originate from viral videos and social media, for instance, one titled "3I/ATLAS Just SENT a SIGNAL to the Moon — And It ANSWERED Back".

No peer-reviewed scientific paper or reputable observatory has thus far reported any radio transmission detected from 3I/ATLAS, let alone one deliberately sent to the Moon.

Plausibility Issues

For 3I/ATLAS to produce a concentrated signal toward the Moon, it would have to be equipped with an extraordinary power, directional (i.e. antenna), and control systems — features not shown by any observations.

Any "answer" or response from the Moon would involve the Moon possessing a receiver (or reflector) adjusted to that frequency, and a return transmitter. The Moon does not have any such apparatus known to exist.

A Potential Origin of the Concept: The "Wow! Signal" Linkage

In particular, historian Avi Loeb hypothesized drawing a link between 3I/ATLAS and the renowned "Wow! Signal" (which had been picked up by the Big Ear radio telescope in 1977). In his hypothesis, he is asking whether the Wow! Signal could have been produced by 3I/ATLAS, estimating what power transmitter would have been needed.

But this is speculative and theoretical, not observational. It doesn't support the more sensational version: "3I/ATLAS signaled the Moon, then received a reply."

So the claim is then basically a sensational flight of imagination rather than based on any scientific measurement.

3. Why People Like It

Such stories spread for a number of reasons:

Mystery and intrigue: Objects themselves in space are unusual and unknown. A factor of "space communication" to add to it makes the tale irresistible to most.

Misinterpretation or exaggeration: A minor speculation or hypothesis (e.g. Loeb's connection to the Wow! Signal) is exaggerated, warped, and transformed into a "fact" in social media.

Desire for contact: People are intrigued by the possibility of extraterrestrial messages or signals; therefore, they are inclined to accept claims that suggest there might be such a possibility.

4. What the Scientific Community Thinks

The general consensus of astronomers and planetary scientists is:

There is no established evidence that 3I/ATLAS sent out any artificial or coherent signal.

All that has been seen so far (optical, infrared, ultraviolet) is consistent with natural cometary activity — outgassing, dust emission, and a volatile-ice/dust compositional mixture.

Conjectural notions do have a role to play in science (indeed, boundary pushing is an asset), but they need to be supported by data — and in this instance, the data don't support "alien transmitter" hypotheses.

5. What Would It Take to Confirm a Signal?

If one truly desired to test the "signal theory," here is how science would go about it:

Radio observations: Aim powerful radio telescopes (e.g. FAST, Arecibo [if still in operation], Green Bank, etc.) at 3I/ATLAS across a variety of frequencies, particularly those typically employed in SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) studies.

Time correlation: Look for bursts or pulses that correlate with when 3I/ATLAS is observable and when the Moon would be in geometry to "accept" them.

Spectral and polarization analysis: Separate natural emissions (e.g., plasma discharge, solar wind interactions) from artificially narrowband emissions.

Repeatability & independent confirmation: Any signal claim must be repeatable and confirmed by multiple, independent stations.

There has yet to be such a confirmed detection for 3I/ATLAS.

Conclusion: Fascination, But Far from Proven

The tale "3I/ATLAS sent a signal to the Moon and received an answer" is a pulp-science fiction-sounding headline — but it is not based on science. What we do have is that 3I/ATLAS is an incredible interstellar comet, acting like other comets (though with some strange chemistry). Until there is a peer-reviewed, credible detection of an artificial signal, the Moon-reply tale must be relegated to rumor or conspiracy-level speculation.