NASA's Webb reveals interstellar comet has ancient carbon dioxide ice
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope just dropped some major findings about 3I/ATLAS, the third-ever interstellar object spotted in our solar system (first seen July 2025).
This cosmic traveler has a super high carbon dioxide-to-water ratio—one of the highest scientists have ever seen in a comet.
Its speed and path suggest it may have come from the center of our galaxy.
How did it form and what does it mean?
Researchers think 3I/ATLAS formed billions of years ago near a CO2 ice line, exposed to intense radiation—making it between three and 11 billion years old.
As it swings close to Mars's orbit this October, scientists get a rare shot at studying how planets might have formed way back when.
The catch? It'll be hidden behind the Sun for a bit, so observations will pause temporarily.
These early results (not peer-reviewed yet) could help us understand how planetary systems like ours begin and evolve.