NASA’s Webb Space Telescope Reveals Secrets of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS
Webb’s measurements show an unusual carbon-dioxide-rich coma and the first direct methane detection in an interstellar object, researchers said.
- NASA's James Webb Space Telescope detected methane on the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, marking the first direct observation of the gas in an object from outside our solar system.
- Researchers utilized the Mid-Infrared Instrument aboard Webb to analyze the comet in December 2023, while it cruised between 329 million and 379 million kilometers from the Sun.
- The comet displays a unique chemical signature, containing significantly higher concentrations of methane and carbon dioxide than typical solar system comets as water vapor declined rapidly in colder regions.
- Findings published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters indicate that 3I/ATLAS formed in a distinct early planetary environment, unlike most local comets studied to date.
- Observations from the Hubble Space Telescope and SPHEREx mission support NASA's ongoing effort to understand interstellar objects, with each discovery revealing how planetary systems form across the cosmos.
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12 Articles
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope detects methane hidden deep inside interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS with unusual carbon dioxide abundance
Science News: The view coming back from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has a way of turning familiar categories of comet science slightly awkward. 3I/ATLAS, an i.
The 3I/ATLAS interstellar comet, which has been monitored worldwide since its discovery in 2025, continues to reveal details about its origin outside the solar system. Now, observations made with the James Webb space telescope allowed for the first time to detect methane directly in this interstellar visitor, in addition to confirming a chemical composition different from that observed in most known comets.The finding was published in The Astrop…
NASA’s Webb Space Telescope Reveals Secrets of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS
Webb, Hubble, and SPHEREx are joining forces to study the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, revealing details about its structure and chemistry. The comet isn’t dangerous, but it’s offering scientists a rare chance to explore material from outside our solar system.
NASA Webb Telescope detects Methane on Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS, reveals clues about another star system
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has made a breakthrough by detecting methane gas on the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS for the first time. The discovery suggests the comet formed in a very different environment from objects in our solar system.
Methane has been detected on the comet 3I/Atlas. It is the first discovery of methane on an interstellar comet.
Webb Detects Methane on Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS - Astrobiology
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has collected its first mid-infrared chemical fingerprint of an interstellar object during a recent revisit to comet 3I/ATLAS. The team’s results published recently in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. The observations were taken using Webb’s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) on two separate dates as the comet traveled back out of our solar […] The post Webb Detects Methane on Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS appeared …
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