Interstellar comet may be oldest object ever seen in solar system
Summary
An interstellar comet named 3I/ATLAS passed near the sun and Earth in 2025. Scientists using powerful telescopes studied its unusual chemical makeup and found it may be much older than our solar system, possibly formed about 12 million years ago.Key Facts
- 3I/ATLAS is the third comet ever observed that came from outside our solar system.
- It was discovered in July 2025 and was especially bright, which helped scientists study it in detail.
- The comet has about 10 times more deuterium (a type of heavy hydrogen) than comets from our solar system.
- It likely formed in a very cold environment, around minus 243 degrees Celsius.
- Scientists suspect the comet could be up to 12 million years old, much older than the 4.5 billion years of our solar system's age.
- The comet’s chemical makeup is different from any other object found in our solar system.
- The James Webb Space Telescope and the ALMA observatory in Chile provided much of the data for the study.
- Researchers say 3I/ATLAS may have originated during a time called "cosmic noon," about 10 billion years ago, when many stars were forming.
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