US EditionStrange Water on 3I/ATLAS Hints at the Alien Conditions of Its Birth in a Frigid, Low-Radiation Region
Researchers say the comet’s water contains 30 times more deuterium than Solar System comets, pointing to formation in a much colder region.
- On April 23, 2026, Nature Astronomy published a study revealing that interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS originated in a significantly colder environment than our Solar System.
- Data shows the ratio of semi-heavy water to regular water in 3I/ATLAS is 30 times larger than local comets and over 40 times higher than Earth's oceans.
- University of Michigan researcher Luis E. Salazar Manzano led the team using the Atacama Large Millimeter Array to analyze water vapor, with observations occurring just six days after the comet's closest approach to the Sun.
- Assistant Professor Teresa Paneque-Carreño noted the findings are "proof that whatever the conditions were that led to the creation of our solar system are not ubiquitous throughout space." The comet acts as a "fossil" of its distant birthplace.
- With rapidly advancing sensing capabilities, astronomers expect to discover more exotic visitors in the years ahead, as 3I/ATLAS remains only the third known interstellar object to pass through our system.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Scientists Finally Know Where Weirdo Comet 3I/ATLAS Came From
Our old pal, Comet 3I/ATLAS, is back in the news. The comet we breathlessly covered last year as scientists were mystified by this interstellar traveler, some of whom entertained the idea that it might be some kind of alien artifact. It’s become big enough that, like our modern Hollywood franchises, we’ve run out of stories to tell about its present and future, so now we’ve reverted all the way to its past. A team of researchers from the Univers…
Astronomers Discover Major Clue About 3I/ATLAS' Origins
3I/ATLAS became the main character when it came hurtling into our solar system last year, so it’s only fitting it gets a dramatic backstory. After using the ALMA observatory in Chile to closely examine the interstellar visitor — widely believed to be some type of comet — astronomers discovered that it likely fled from a cold and isolated corner of the galaxy, they report in a new study published in the journal Nature, like some sort of cosmic re…
Scientists trace latest interstellar comet's home to a cold, isolated 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.
He traveled billions of years from an iced, lonely corner of the galaxy. When he arrived in our solar system, he was already older than the Sun.
Strange Water on 3I/ATLAS Hints at the Alien Conditions of Its Birth in a Frigid, Low-Radiation Region
New research reveals that the mysterious interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS, which has intrigued astronomers and space enthusiasts alike for the better part of a year, comes from a very cold alien environment.
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