Samantha Mathewson joined Space.com as an intern in the summer of 2016. She received a B.A. in Journalism and Environmental Science at the University of New Haven, in Connecticut. Previously, her work has been published in Nature World News.
The James Webb Space Telescope just mapped auroras on Uranus in 3D for the 1st time, and scientists are thrilledAn artist's impression of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, with methanol flowing from both its nucleus and icy grains in the coma, while hydrogen cyanide is released mainly from the nucleus.
Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsSign up to our monthly entertainment newsletter to keep up with all our coverage of the latest sci-fi and space movies, tv shows, games and books.Discover this week's must-see night sky events, moon phases, and stunning astrophotos. Sign up for our skywatching newsletter and explore the universe with us!Space.com's Sci-Fi Reader's Club. Read a sci-fi short story every month and join a virtual community of fellow science fiction fans!Astronomers studying the interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS have discovered the comet is unusually rich in alcohol — a chemical clue that could reveal how planets and icy bodies form around other stars.and sunlight warmed its icy surface, it released gas and dust, forming a glowing halo — or coma — around its core, which allowed ALMA to analyze the comet's chemical composition in detail. NASA space telescope sees interstellar visitor comet 3I/ATLAS flare up while exiting the solar systemThe measurements show that methanol is far more abundant, relative to hydrogen cyanide, than astronomers typically see in comets from our own. That chemical imbalance suggests 3I/ATLAS likely formed in a planetary system with very different physical conditions — such as colder temperatures and/or a different chemical inventory — than the one that produced our own comets, according to"Observing 3I/ATLAS is like taking a fingerprint from another solar system," Nathan Roth, lead author of the study and a professor at American University, said in the statement."The details reveal what it's made of, and it's bursting with methanol in a way we just don't usually see in comets in our Methanol — which is used for industrial purposes here on Earth, in contrast to the drinkable ethanol — isn't rare in space. It forms on the surfaces of icy dust grains in interstellar clouds and is commonly incorporated into comets during planet formation. But the amount detected in 3I/ATLAS appears unusually high compared with the ratios seen in solar system comets, making the object a valuable chemical"fingerprint" from another planetary system. Discovered in July 2025 by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System, 3I/ATLAS is only the third known object confirmed to have entered the solar system from interstellar space. The first wasContact me with news and offers from other Future brands— have been monitoring the comet as it travels through the inner solar system. Images show a diffuse coma and faint dust tail created as sunlight heats the comet's ices, releasing gas and dust into space. Those outflows also help explain another phenomenon observed around the comet: a vast cloud of gas glowing in X-rays as charged particles from theslam into material escaping from the nucleus. The ALMA observations further revealed that hydrogen cyanide mostly streams directly from the comet's nucleus, while methanol is released both from the nucleus and from icy grains in theacting like miniature comets — the first time such detailed outgassing behavior has been mapped in an interstellar object, according to the statement./ Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale ), including suggestions that 3I/ATLAS could be artificial in origin. But the growing body of evidence — including its comet-like tail, gas jets and molecular composition — strongly indicates that the object is a natural icy body. For astronomers, that's the real excitement. Objects like 3I/ATLAS act as messengers from other planetary systems, preserving the chemical conditions present where they formed billions of years ago — and offering rare opportunities to study the building blocks ofSamantha Mathewson joined Space.com as an intern in the summer of 2016. She received a B.A. in Journalism and Environmental Science at the University of New Haven, in Connecticut. Previously, her work has been published in Nature World News. When not writing or reading about science, Samantha enjoys traveling to new places and taking photos! You can follow her on Twitter @Sam_Ashley13. Could the remains of a 'dead' comet still be in the solar system? Astronomers are still searching 6 years later 'War Machine's' Alan Ritchson and director Patrick Hughes on why they filmed the action flick 'like a horror movie' 'Easter comet' could be visible in daytime skies this April — if it survives a fiery dive past the sun
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Future spacecraft could fix their own damage using 'self-healing' materialsSamantha Mathewson joined Space.com as an intern in the summer of 2016. She received a B.A. in Journalism and Environmental Science at the University of New Haven, in Connecticut. Previously, her work has been published in Nature World News.
Read more »
Immerse yourself in Vegas: High-tech attractions take a trip to the next levelExperience the Interstellar Arc and other attractions at Area 15, Las Vegas foodie tours, “Wizard of Oz'” at Sphere and more in Las Vegas.
Read more »
3I/ATLAS comet is bursting with alcohol, surprising astronomersAndrew Paul is Popular Science's staff writer focused primarily on tech, AI, physics, and culture news. He was previously a regular contributor to The A.V. Club and Input, and has been featured by Rolling Stone, Fangoria, GQ, Slate, NBC, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, and elsewhere. He lives outside Indianapolis.
Read more »
Why Are Interstellar Comets So Weird? Part 1: The Strangers Blowing Through TownImagine you live in a small town. Maybe it’s easy for you to imagine because you actually do. You’ve spent your whole life there. You know all the people, and all the people know you. Years go by. Decades. The same faces at the same corner store, the same routes to the same places, the same sky overhead. It’s comfortable. Predictable.
Read more »
Interstellar Comet 3I/Atlas Has Another Surprise: It’s Full of AlcoholAnalysis of the tail of 3I/Atlas reveals that it contains an anomalous proportion of methanol, a class of alcohol used in fuels.
Read more »
Want to Smell Like Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy? Grab These 7 Fragrances Before They Sell OutSamantha Holender is the Senior Beauty Editor at Marie Claire, where she reports on the best new launches, dives into the science behind skincare, and shares the breakdown on the latest and greatest trends in the beauty space.
Read more »