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

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

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.

Topics:sciencespace#12c13c#14n15n#interstellar-object#isotopic-ratios#protoplanetary-disk#space
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  1. High nitrogen and carbon isotopic ratios in the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS  Nature
  2. Comet may be 12bn-year-old relic from distant star system  The Times
  3. Breakthrough at comet 3I/ATLAS. Scientists say they can pin down what the interstellar comet's birthplace was like  BBC Sky at Night Magazine
  4. More clues surface about the origins of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS  Space
  5. Comet 3I/ATLAS is older than the sun  Popular Science

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