AI Summary

Scientists estimate that solar heating stripped the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS of a surface layer roughly 1.7 to 5.2 meters thick, based on measurements of escaping gas. If dust loss is also considered, the removed layer could exceed 10 meters. The loss of this outer material may have altered the comet’s chemistry, complicating efforts to determine how much of the observed composition reflects its original planetary system. The study suggests that the Sun’s influence may have exposed a clearer record of the comet’s primordial material.

AI summaries can be wrong sometimes—always verify important details using the source article.