NASA's James Webb detects methane for 1st time on 3I/ATLAS
Technology
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope just found methane on the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS: something never seen before on an object from outside our solar system.
Using its Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), Webb made this discovery in December, and the results are now published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Methane rich on 3I/ATLAS, water declined
Turns out, 3I/ATLAS has far more methane compared to water than comets we know, plus extra carbon dioxide. Scientists think it formed somewhere with entirely different chemistry.
As the comet drifted away from the sun, Webb noticed its gas production dropped quickly, especially water vapor, because colder temperatures slowed down how ice turns directly into gas.