3I/ATLAS comet age revealed

Astronomers using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT) have determined that interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS likely originated in the outskirts of an old, low-metallicity star system and is more than twice as old as the Sun. The study, led by Cyrielle Opitom of the University of Edinburgh and published in Nature Astronomy, measured carbon and nitrogen isotopic ratios in cyanide molecules around the comet. A separate study using the James Webb Space Telescope led by Martin Cordiner at United States — NASA found elevated deuterium levels, supporting the age estimate. The comet is the third interstellar object discovered and the brightest, allowing detailed analysis. It is now moving away from the Sun and becoming fainter.