Scientists Finally Know Where Weirdo Comet 3I/ATLAS Came From
By Luis Prada
Published on April 26, 2026.
Researchers from the University of Michigan have found out where comet 3I/ATLAS came from, likely in an extremely cold, isolated part of the galaxy, outside of our solar system, and a neck of the woods that never formed into a fully functioning solar neighborhood. This discovery was made after detecting unusually high levels of deuterium in the water it contained. The comet, which made its closest pass to Earth in December after swinging by Mars, is believed to be the oldest of the bunch and is estimated to be around 11 billion years old, making it twice as old as our sun.
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