CN Isotopologue Signatures in Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Point to Outer Protoplanetary Disc Origin
To the point
Researchers including C. Opitom, J. Manfroid and D. Hutsemékers found CN isotopic ratios in the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS (12C/13C ≈ 147 and 14N/15N ≈ 343), indicating the material originated in the outer disc of an older, low‑metallicity star or from early interstellar environments and was sculpted by temperature- and radiation-driven fractionation that records 3I’s history.
