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4 days agoWhy an interstellar comet has scientists excited
Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS exhibited nickel vapor in its distant, cold coma near four AU, revealing primordial chemistry from beyond the solar system.
An Earth-based telescope has captured an interstellar object speeding through our Solar System, spewing a mysterious metal that defies natural expectations. The Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile detected an unusual nickel plume from the object, known as 3I/ATLAS, which differs sharply from natural comets that always emit nickel alongside iron, which was not detected. Harvard physicist Avi Loeb highlighted the anomaly, noting that this nickel signature is a hallmark of industrial production of nickel alloys.