NASA's James Webb Space Telescope found that interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS formed over 7 billion years before the Sun. When it zipped closest to the Sun on October 30, 2025, it showed scientists untouched material. Researchers said this comet likely formed in an icy, low-metal part of the early universe.
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope just uncovered some wild facts about interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, discovered last year.
Turns out, this space traveler may have formed more than 7 billion years before our Sun was born.
What really blew scientists' minds? Its methane has a deuterium-to-hydrogen ratio 13 times higher than that of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, the only other comet in our Solar System with a confirmed measurement of this kind.
Researchers say 3I/ATLAS likely formed in an icy, low-metal part of space with lots of cosmic rays (basically, conditions like the early universe).
When it zipped closest to the Sun in October 2025 (around Oct. 30, 2025), it gave scientists a rare peek at untouched material from the dawn of time.
Studying it could help us piece together how and where the comet may have formed.