Space Daily·2 min read·hard
We tend to think of comets as ancient relics of our own solar system, but interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS carried 30 times more heavy hydrogen than any comet formed around our Sun, a chemical fingerprint
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Researchers have identified that the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS contains significantly higher levels of heavy hydrogen compared to comets originating in our solar system. This chemical signature suggests a distinct formation history outside our local environment.
Most comets are treated as leftovers from a local story. They formed with the planets, spent billions of years in the cold outskirts of the Solar System, and occasionally fall inward, warming just enough for sunlight to pull gas and dust from their s... [6801 chars]
science
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