AI Summary

Astronomers used the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope to examine the composition of 3I/ATLAS, the brightest interstellar object observed. By measuring specific chemical fingerprints—an unprecedented approach for a comet formed outside the solar system—they determined that the comet likely originated in the outskirts of an old star system. The analysis suggests that 3I/ATLAS may be much older than the Sun, offering new insights into the formation history of interstellar comets.

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