Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Originated in Extremely Cold, Lonely Region of Milky Way
Comet 3I/ATLAS, recognized as the third interstellar traveler, is believed to have emerged from a frigid, remote area of the Milky Way prior to the birth of its parent star. A research article released on April 23 in Nature Astronomy indicates that it possesses a remarkable amount of 'heavy' water—40 times more than Earth's oceans and 30 times greater than that found in typical comets within the solar system—pointing to its formation in a colder setting. Initially detected on July 1 by a NASA-supported telescope in Chile, it moves at approximately 137,000 miles per hour and does not follow a closed orbit. The icy nucleus is estimated to measure between 1,400 feet and 3.5 miles in width, suggesting exceptional conditions for the formation of the solar system.
Key facts
- Comet 3I/ATLAS is the third known interstellar visitor after 1I/ʻOumuamua and 2I/Borisov.
- The study was published April 23 in Nature Astronomy.
- The comet was first spotted on July 1 by a NASA-funded telescope in Chile (ATLAS).
- It was traveling at about 137,000 miles per hour.
- Its trajectory traced back to the center of the Milky Way galaxy.
- The comet's nucleus is estimated between 1,400 feet and 3.5 miles wide.
- It has a deuterated-to-standard water ratio about 40 times that of Earth's oceans and 30 times that of typical solar system comets.
- Data was collected using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array telescope in Chile.
Entities
Institutions
- NASA
- Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS)
- University of Michigan
- Michigan State University
- Nature Astronomy
- Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array
- Associated Press
- Scientific American
Locations
- Chile
- Milky Way galaxy
- Earth