All articles tagged with #deuterium
New models argue a substantial portion of solar-system water—roughly 30–50%—was inherited from pre-solar interstellar ice, not formed in the early solar disk; the deuterium enrichment seen in solar-system water is hard to explain with disk chemistry alone, suggesting some water in Earth’s oceans and comets predates the Sun by billions of years and carries ancient interstellar heritage.
New observations of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS from JWST and other telescopes confirm its interstellar origin and reveal chemical fingerprints—a red, cosmic-ray–processed surface; unusually high deuterium abundance and a carbon-12 to carbon-13 ratio far lower than Solar System values—that point to formation in a cold, primitive environment long before our Solar System, making 3I/ATLAS billions of years older than the Sun; its orbit alone cannot determine its age.
Webb’s NIRSpec study of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS reveals unusually high deuterium and low carbon-13, suggesting the it formed in a very cold, early region of the galaxy roughly 10–12 billion years ago outside our Solar System. The isotopic signatures imply formation in a dense, frozen cloud and hint that the ingredients for chemistry—and possibly life—could exist in distant stellar nurseries. The findings, published in Nature, are complemented by an ESO/VLT analysis of cyanide isotopes.
Isotopic analysis of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS suggests it formed in a cold environment about 12 billion years ago, making it older than our Solar System and a preserved fragment of an ancient planetary system; unusual isotope ratios (including deuterium) point to a distant, metal-poor birth environment, and SETI scans found no signs of alien technology.
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope used its NIRSpec instrument to map the chemical makeup of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as it moved away from the Sun, finding unusually high deuterium (about 30x that of solar-system comets) and only traces of carbon-13, which together point to formation in a very cold, early galactic environment roughly 10–12 billion years ago during the universe’s cosmic noon; 3I/ATLAS is the third confirmed interstellar visitor and the findings, published in Nature, shed light on the conditions for planet formation and potentially prebiotic chemistry beyond our solar system.
Astronomers analyzing the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS found an exceptionally high amount of heavy water (deuterium-rich water), suggesting it formed in a much colder, lower-radiation environment than our solar system. This marks the first successful water analysis of an interstellar object and points to diverse planetary-forming conditions across the galaxy, with future studies likely to reveal more such visitors as observational capabilities improve.
ALMA observations of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS show a deuterium-rich water signature, indicating it formed in a colder, outer region of a protoplanetary disk around another star, making it a time capsule from the galaxy’s early days.
ALMA and JWST observations of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS reveal a striking excess of heavy water, indicating it formed in a much colder environment and likely experienced limited thermal processing. This enrichment suggests its origin differs markedly from our solar system’s history, underscoring that our solar system may be unusual and pointing to rich future discoveries of interstellar material with upcoming telescopes.
Astronomers using the ALMA Observatory found that interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS contains unusually high deuterium in its water, implying it formed in a very cold, loner star-forming region long before the Sun. The object could be the oldest known interstellar visitor (up to about 11 billion years old); its nucleus is estimated to range from a quarter-mile to 3.5 miles (440 meters to 5.6 kilometers) across, and it is speeding away from the Sun at roughly 137,000 mph. The findings, published in Nature Astronomy, add context to other interstellar visitors like Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov.
New JWST/NIRSpec analysis of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS finds an unusually low carbon-13 to carbon-12 ratio and significant deuterium enrichment, implying it formed very early in the Milky Way’s history. Modeling suggests 3I/ATLAS may be 10–12 billion years old, potentially originating from a thick-disk star system, making it one of the oldest interstellar visitors and perhaps a relic from a vanished stellar neighborhood. The age estimate is not yet peer‑reviewed and is available via a preprint, with researchers noting ongoing uncertainty but tantalizing clues about ancient planet formation beyond our galaxy.
New JWST analyses of the interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS reveal unusually high deuterium in its gases, suggesting formation in extremely cold, metal-poor regions billions of years ago. Two Nature Astronomy papers argue the isotope pattern could be a natural relic rather than evidence of alien technology, while Avi Loeb questions the interpretation and notes deuterium as potential fusion fuel. Overall, the findings point to a natural origin and do not prove extraterrestrial engineering.
Researchers at the University of British Columbia developed a small reactor that uses electrochemical loading of deuterium into palladium to boost nuclear fusion rates by 15% at room temperature, demonstrating a novel approach to fusion research that could complement traditional high-temperature methods.
A new study suggests that comets may have delivered water to Earth, despite previous doubts raised by the 2014 Rosetta mission's findings. The mission found high deuterium levels in comet 67P, conflicting with Earth's water signature. Researchers now propose that cometary dust may have skewed these measurements, as deuterium-rich water adheres to dust grains, potentially altering observed ratios. This insight supports the theory that Jupiter-family comets contributed to Earth's water supply.
A NASA-led study has found that water on Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko shares a similar molecular signature with Earth's oceans, suggesting comets could have contributed to Earth's water supply. This challenges previous findings from the Rosetta mission, which showed high deuterium levels in 67P's water. The new research indicates that cometary dust may have skewed earlier measurements, reopening the debate on comets' role in delivering water to Earth and offering insights into the early solar system's formation.