Webb Telescope Compares Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS to Solar System Icy Objects

A Southwest Research Institute study, using the James Webb Space Telescope, analyzed ice grains from interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. Observations revealed water ice and dust aggregates with spectral characteristics distinct from most known comets but similar to some icy bodies beyond Neptune. These findings suggest that the icy building blocks of planets around other stars may share common physical properties with those within our solar system.