The interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS' chemistry was changing as it made its close approach to the sun last fall, a new study has found.
3I/ATLAS is fascinating to scientists because it is just the third object ever found passing through our solar system that was born around another star. Thus, it offers an opportunity to investigate the raw materials that existed in other star systems as they were forming planets, asteroids and comets.
In the new study, researchers observed 3I/ATLAS using the Subaru Telescope, an 8.2-meter optical-infrared telescope located near the summit of Maunakea, Hawaii, on Jan. 7, 2026.
