Isotopes point to a cold, distant origin for interstellar object 3I/ATLAS

Researchers report in Nature that isotopic measurements of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS point to a cold and distant origin, suggesting it formed in the frigid outer region of a planetary system far from its parent star before being ejected into interstellar space.

3I/ATLAS is one of only a handful of objects ever observed passing through the solar system from beyond it. Because such visitors carry chemical fingerprints set when and where they formed, the isotopic signature offers a rare direct sample of material from another planetary system. The finding sharpens the picture of where these wanderers come from and how the building blocks of planets compare across different stars.

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