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A study published in Nature details isotopic measurements of the third confirmed interstellar object observed in the solar system. The comet shows an elemental composition unlike any solar-system body and could predate the solar system's formation by billions of years.
esa.intComet 3I/ATLAS, the third confirmed interstellar object observed passing through the solar system, may be up to 12 billion years old, according to isotopic measurements published Monday in the journal Nature. The comet was first observed in July 2025.
Data from the James Webb Space Telescope and the ALMA observatory in Chile showed it contains approximately 10 times more deuterium than typical solar-system comets.
The measurements indicate the object formed in an environment at roughly minus 243 degrees Celsius and has an elemental composition unlike any solar-system body. " He noted possible edge-case scenarios that could explain the chemical composition without requiring extreme age.
NASA released Hubble Space Telescope images of 3I/ATLAS on 21 July 2025 when it was approximately 277 million miles from Earth and on 30 November 2025 when it was about 178 million miles from Earth.
Mars orbiters captured images in October 2025 at roughly 18. The two prior interstellar objects, 1I/'Oumuamua observed in 2017 and 2I/Borisov observed in 2019, lacked sufficient brightness for isotopic measurements. " SETI reported last month it found "no evidence of extraterrestrial technology" on the comet.
Avi Loeb said all possibilities, including non-cometary origins, should remain open until further data are obtained. Peter Veres stated future observations will become increasingly difficult as the comet leaves the solar system and will never return.
Federal investigators concluded that the Champlain Towers South building in Surfside began failing weeks before its June 2021 collapse that killed 98 people. The structure had insufficient design strength and later modifications that accelerated the failure.
thehindu.comNegotiations between Lebanese and Israeli officials open Tuesday in Washington and run for three days. The meetings follow a U.S.-Iran memorandum that halted fighting across fronts including Lebanon.
Oklahoma defeated North Carolina 13-2 in the decisive Game 3 on Monday night in Omaha. The win gave the Sooners their first national championship since 1994 and the Southeastern Conference its seventh straight title.