{"id":376687,"date":"2026-03-09T23:45:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-09T23:45:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/376687\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T23:45:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T23:45:10","slug":"3i-atlas-is-unusually-rich-in-methanol-alma-observations-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/376687\/","title":{"rendered":"3I\/ATLAS is Unusually Rich in Methanol, ALMA Observations Show"},"content":{"rendered":"

Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter\/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have detected hydrogen cyanide (nitrogen-bearing organic molecule commonly seen in comets) as well as unusually high levels of methanol (organic molecule tied to prebiotic chemistry) in the interstellar comet 3I\/ATLAS.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"An<\/a><\/p>\n

An artist\u2019s impression of 3I\/ATLAS is shown as it passes near the Sun, illuminating one side of the comet; on the side of the comet closer to the Sun, the methanol gas is shown in blue, with icy dust grains still present in the gas; on the dark side of the comet, the hydrogen cyanide is shown in orange. Image credit: NSF \/ AUI \/ NRAO \/ M.Weiss.<\/p>\n

\u201cObserving 3I\/ATLAS is like taking a fingerprint from another solar system,\u201d said American University Professor Nathan Roth.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe details reveal what it\u2019s made of, and it\u2019s bursting with methanol in a way we just don\u2019t usually see in comets in our own Solar System.\u201d<\/p>\n

Using ALMA\u2019s Atacama Compact Array in Chile, Professor Roth and his colleagues observed 3I\/ATLAS as it approached our Sun.<\/p>\n

As sunlight warmed its icy surface, the interstellar visitor released gas and dust, forming a coma around its core.<\/p>\n

By analyzing the coma, the astronomers revealed the chemical fingerprints of the material it is composed of.<\/p>\n

They focused on the faint submillimeter fingerprints of two molecules: methanol and hydrogen cyanide.<\/p>\n

The ALMA data reveal that 3I\/ATLAS is heavily enriched in methanol compared to hydrogen cyanide, far beyond what is typically seen in comets born in our own Solar System.<\/p>\n

On two observing dates, the researchers measured methanol\u2011to\u2011hydrogen cyanide ratios of about 70 and 120, placing the object among the most methanol\u2011rich solar system comets ever studied.<\/p>\n

These measurements imply that the icy material from 3I\/ATLAS was formed by \u2014 or experienced \u2014 very different conditions than those that shape most comets in our own Solar System.<\/p>\n

ALMA\u2019s high resolution also allowed the team to see how different molecules move away from the comet, revealing surprising differences between methanol and hydrogen cyanide.<\/p>\n

Hydrogen cyanide appears to come, for the most part, directly from the comet\u2019s core, or nucleus, which is typical for comets in our Solar System.<\/p>\n

Methanol, on the other hand, appears to come from both the nucleus and from ice particles in the coma.<\/p>\n

These tiny, icy grains act like mini-comets: as the object moves closer to the Sun, where ice turns into gas, they also release methanol.<\/p>\n

Similar behavior has been observed in some solar system comets, but this is the first time the physics of such detailed outgassing has been traced in an interstellar object.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe derived methanol\u2011to\u2011hydrogen cyanide ratios in 3I\/ATLAS are among the most enriched values measured in any comet, surpassed only by anomalous solar system comet C\/2016 R2 (Pan-STARRS),\u201d the authors said.<\/p>\n

The findings<\/a> appear in the Astrophysical Journal.<\/p>\n

_____<\/p>\n

Nathan X. Roth et al. 2026. CH3OH and HCN in Interstellar Comet 3I\/ATLAS Mapped with the ALMA Atacama Compact Array: Distinct Outgassing Behaviors and a Remarkably High CH3OH\/HCN Production Rate Ratio. ApJL 999, L32; doi: 10.3847\/2041-8213\/ae433b<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter\/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have detected hydrogen cyanide (nitrogen-bearing organic molecule commonly seen in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":376688,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[77],"tags":[10866,17155,7043,18,81444,19,10881,10867,17,34516,133,10214],"class_list":["post-376687","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-science","tag-3i-atlas","tag-alma","tag-comet","tag-eire","tag-hydrogen-cyanide","tag-ie","tag-interstellar-comet","tag-interstellar-object","tag-ireland","tag-methanol","tag-science","tag-solar-system"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116201883645157002","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/376687","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=376687"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/376687\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/376688"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=376687"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=376687"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=376687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}