Comet 3I/ATLAS is not beating the allegations that it is a supremely weird object. The fastest interstellar comet yet is also breaking records in other aspects, in particular in its outgassing of carbon dioxide, higher than all but one comet observed by humanity. The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.

Astronomers have used JWST to conduct a very brief observation of this comet. Thanks to the exceptional infrared eye of the space observatory, the data allowed researchers to work out the composition of the coma, the nebulous atmosphere of a comet that forms as its ice turns from solid to gas, getting closer to the Sun.

Asked about the most exciting aspect of the research, lead author Dr Martin Cordiner did not hesitate: “We

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