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Scientists trace latest interstellar comet’s home to a cold, isolated corner of the Milky Way
Scientists found unusually high deuterium in its water, suggesting 3I/Atlas formed in a much colder region before its host star existed.
- Comet Atlas, a confirmed interstellar visitor, likely originated in a cold, isolated corner of the galaxy before its host star formed, astronomers reported Thursday.
- Scientists estimate the comet is up to 11 billion years old, more than twice the sun's age, and predates its own solar system in an environment significantly colder than our cosmic neighborhood.
- Researchers led by the University of Michigan used the ALMA observatory in Chile to detect extremely high levels of heavy hydrogen in the comet's water, while the Hubble Space Telescope measured its nucleus between 440 meters and 5.6 kilometers.
- Hurtling away at 137,000 mph, the comet is now well beyond Jupiter on a permanent departure from our solar system, remaining visible only to professional astronomers.
- This object follows the 2017 discovery of Oumuamua in Hawaii and the 2019 detection of comet Borisov, spotted by a Crimean amateur astronomer, establishing Atlas as the third confirmed interstellar visitor.
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Comet 3I/Atlas: Third Interstellar Visitor May Be 11 Billion Years Old, From a Cold Corner of the Milky Way
Cape Canaveral: The comet that rambled past us from another star last year likely originated in a cold, isolated corner of the galaxy that had yet to gel into its own solar system, astronomers reported Thursday.Comet 3I/Atlas is only the third interstellar visitor to be confirmed and quite possibly the oldest. Scientists estimate it could be up to 11 billion years old, more than twice as old as the sun.A team led by the University of Michigan us…
·Dubai, United Arab Emirates (the)
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The Seattle TimesReposted by 
The Hamilton Spectator
The Hamilton SpectatorScientists trace latest interstellar comet’s home to a cold, isolated corner of the Milky Way
A new study suggests that the comet that rambled past us from another star last year likely originated in a cold, isolated corner of the galaxy that had yet to...
·Seattle, United States
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Total News Sources27
Leaning Left10Leaning Right3Center8Last UpdatedBias Distribution48% Left
Bias Distribution
- 48% of the sources lean Left
48% Left
L 48%
C 38%
14%
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