If I were an alien designing a probe that sends back data, my biggest concern would be efficiency of transmission, because the energy requirements increase massively if I didn't. Hence if this were an alien probe, we should not expect there to be any sidelobes to their transmissions and we'd only capture a signal in the unlikely event that we happen to be between the putative probe and its origin.

Is it really that hard to believe in such an asteroid exist? This particular one could have been in collisoin with something else and split off sending a wird looking shard into the cosmo.

Perhaps an aircraft carrier inside? Just about the right size. Just kidding.

@phissith9 I don't think there are many people who actually believe it's artificial. They're just hoping it is, and the unusual shape is something to cling to. But aki009 is right, the only real way to know if it's signaling home would be to send a probe out to it (or across its path).

If there was a space faring race able to send out a probe which can stroll around the galaxy at 200,000mph then I highly doubt they would be using anything as archaic as radio transmissions to phone home. People really know how to grab those grants.

Nostalgia! Remember when the FBI investigated the song Louie Louie for two years (mid 20th century) looking for obscenities and messages from the devil? Maybe an old Russian satellite will wake up and beep at them from the same direction and keep the CIA busy. I am glad my taxes aren't funding this nonsense.

Depends on WHAT if Anything is STILL Alive!/? Considering by Earth Standards this Asteroid/Vessel entered Our Solar System at ~150,000mph and Left by way of Sling Shot at ~195,000mph. Not exactly Warp Drive...

El Bonko--I'm curious as to why you think some people wish this huge rock-like formation is from an alien civilization. I would think the vast majority of humans would be hoping the opposite.

Although it's come and gone we may not have missed the opportunity to do something about it (keep reading) .
The object looks exactly like the ship, doing exactly the same thing of using our Sun to sling-shot though space, that Arthur C. Clarke wrote about in his sy-fi book, "Rendezvous with Rama".
Earthlings in the book were able to "break into" the ship before it went scooting out of the solar system on it's way to be colonized by the creatures it was built to house.
Because the creatures were did everything based on the number 3, (spoiler alert!) the book ends by inferring that 2 more ships should be coming along so we can learn more the next time.

It's all good, we haven't driven the humpback whale to extinction yet so it will NOT attack us.