Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS reveals outer-disk isotopic fingerprints

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Source: Nature
Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS reveals outer-disk isotopic fingerprints
Photo: Nature
TL;DR Summary

Astronomers measuring CN isotopologues in the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS find unusually high 12C/13C (~151) and 14N/15N (~363) ratios, higher than Solar System comets and closer to interstellar/outer-disk values, implying 3I formed in the outer disk around an old, low-metallicity star and offering rare clues about planetesimal formation under different stellar environments.

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