First Methane Detected in Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS Reveals Distinct Origin Chemistry
To the point
3I/ATLAS, an interstellar visitor, has a methane-rich fingerprint alongside carbon dioxide and water and is unusually CO2-rich, implying its materials formed in a chemistry different from Solar System comets and that methane was released after perihelion as it heated, a finding highlighted by Avi Loeb that reshapes our understanding of interstellar bodies' origins.
