Astronomers have a new theory about planetary formation, and it revolves around one mysterious concept: interstellar visitors. No, not little green men, but rather deep-space wanderers like the peculiar comet 3I/ATLAS discovered this summer.

A new study presented by professor Susanne Pfalzner of Forschungszentrum Jülich at the Joint Meeting of the Europlanet Science Congress and the Division of Planetary Sciences last week suggests such interstellar objects could serve as "seeds" for exoplanet growth around young stars.

Planetary formation is believed to occur through a process called accretion — which involves small particles in dusty, gas-rich disks around young stars colliding and sticking together, gradually growing to the size of planets. But there's a bit of a blip in the story. Co

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