How would the 2016 human scientific community react if a massive space-faring alien "whale" entered the Solar System?

I got the idea from this answer, which suggests a species that evolved early in the existence if the universe and spreads between stars upon their death.

If one of said creatures enters the inner Solar System and modern Earth confirms that it is a living creature, how would human scientific community likely react? For the purposes of this question we will assume it is roughly the size and mass of the Moon, and is not on a collision course with Earth.

It gets its energy via a form of photosynthesis and through absorbing minerals from smaller celestial bodies than itself (usually meaning the destruction of the smaller body). This lifeform continually grows, and only stops growing on death. It can live for however long its parent star lives. It doubles its size every thousand years, but humans have no way of knowing this. It produces asexually, and can produce up to two offspring per earth-year.

These creatures are sentient, and can achieve sapience given enough time (centuries). They communicate with their own kind via radio waves, and produce sizeable interference when they pass by the Earth.

EDIT:

The children are Charon-sized. The animals do not eat often and usually subsist on photosynthesis until they need to grow, at which point they go for the nearest mineral source that is not overly dangerous to obtain. The children rely even more on solar energy, with over 90% of their energy obtained from the Sun.

Here is a side-by-side of Earth, The moon, Pluto, and Charon to give you an idea of what I am talking about.

It might be possible, but is highly unlikely, that we will be able to communicate with it in the next few centuries.

posted about 8 years ago

JDSweetBeat‭

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