Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Likely Originated in Outskirts of Ancient Planetary System
Researchers said the comet’s isotopic fingerprints point to formation in a cold outer region of an ancient, low-metallicity star system, likely more than 9 billion years old.
- On July 6, astronomers published findings in Nature Astronomy revealing that the interstellar comet ATLAS contains unusually high carbon and nitrogen isotopic ratios, detected using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope.
- Researchers identified the comet as a primordial fossil from a distant, ancient star system; its chemical composition suggests it formed more than 9 billion years ago, long before our own Solar System existed.
- University of Edinburgh astronomer Cyrielle Opitom led a team including researchers at the University of Liège in Belgium who measured isotopes; ATLAS was far brighter and easier to study than previous interstellar objects like Oumuamua.
- Data indicates the comet originated in an outer region of a low-metallicity star system, similar to a Kuiper belt, where it was likely snatched by a passing star's gravity before being hurled into deep space.
- While ATLAS is now fading from view, the European Southern Observatory's next-generation Extremely Large Telescope will enable scientists to confirm isotopic ratios for even fainter interstellar objects, advancing planetary formation research.
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Noticias ao MinutoESO's VLT measured for the first time the chemical composition of an extrasolar comet. The findings, published in Nature Astronomy, point to a very old host star.
An international team of astronomers determined that the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS was probably formed in the outer regions of an ancient star system.The finding suggests that this object could be more than twice as old as the Sun.The research was published this Monday in the scientific journal Nature Astronomy.The study used observations made with the Very Large Telescope (VLT) of the European Southern Observatory (ESO).Scientists first analy…
Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Likely Originated in Outskirts of Ancient Planetary System
Astronomers using ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) have measured carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in 3I/ATLAS, the third known interstellar visitor to sweep through the Solar System. The post Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Likely Originated in Outskirts of Ancient Planetary System appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.
More clues surface about the origins of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS
More evidence that the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is much older than our solar system has come to light, along with clues that it formed on the outskirts of the protoplanetary disk belonging to its parent star long ago.Earlier this year, researchers led by Martin Cordiner of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center revealed that data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) suggested that 3I/ATLAS is between 10 and 12 billion years old, based on th…
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Lee Joo-young = Analysis of carbon and nitrogen isotopes of Comet '3I/ATLAS', the third interstellar body to have come from outside the solar system ...
It is the third interstellar object ever discovered: the comet 3l/atlas comes from a distant and alien world. New investigations show that it must be significantly older than our own solar system.
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