Methane Revelation: JWST Detects Methane on Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS
TL;DR Summary
JWST observations of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, taken near and after perihelion, detect methane for the first time on an interstellar object. The methane-to-water ratio is higher than in most solar-system comets, and the methane appears after perihelion because it is buried deeper in the nucleus and only sublimates with extended solar heating; concurrently water vapor declined as the comet crossed the snow line, while CO2 and methane persisted, suggesting 3I/ATLAS formed in a different environment and preserves primordial methane ice, providing insight into other planetary systems.
- Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is blasting out a bunch of methane. Here's why that's weird Space
- NASA’s Webb Detects Methane on Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS NASA Science (.gov)
- Webb Telescope snaps interstellar comet – proves it's like nothing we've ever seen in our own Solar System BBC Sky at Night Magazine
- NASA's Webb detects methane and strange chemistry on interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS ScienceDaily
- REAL STARDUST? 🌠 The European Space Agency has shared the first-ever chemical fingerprint it captured when the interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS exited the solar system after swinging around the Sun. (📷: European Space Agency/IG) facebook.com
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