Webb's spectra of 3I/ATLAS show tiny grains of water ice mixed with dust, each a micrometer or smaller. The same pattern appears in icy worlds beyond Neptune, suggesting planet-forming material takes a similar form around different stars. The study, led by the Southwest Research Institute, observed 3I/ATLAS three times between August 2025 and April 2026 and was published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Source: Southwest Research Institute study, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, via Knowridge, October 30, 2026.
Image credit: Image: Southwest Research Institute.
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