Astronomers have traced the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS to a cold, isolated region of the Milky Way.
Studies reveal the comet contains unusually high levels of deuterium-rich water, indicating it formed under much colder conditions than our Solar System.
This discovery offers rare insight into the diversity of planetary system formation across the galaxy and highlights differences from our own solar neighborhood.
Is this comet a 12-billion-year-old fossil from a dead star system?
Why is this interstellar comet's water over 40 times heavier than Earth's?
Does this comet’s chemistry change our view on how planets form elsewhere?
What mysteries remain before this messenger leaves our solar system forever?
How did scientists profile an alien visitor traveling 36 miles per second?