Mission: Catch a Guest from Another Star System
The Comet Interceptor mission launches without a target. The spacecraft freezes at a point of space equilibrium, like a fighter jet on combat standby: engine warmed up, but takeoff only on alert.
Interstellar Comet: Water 14 Times Heavier Than Earth's
Comet 3I/ATLAS was spotted when it entered the Solar System from interstellar space. The James Webb Telescope split the light from its gas cloud into a rainbow, a spectrum, and in this pattern, the lines of rare molecules with deuterium (heavy hydrogen) appeared.
The Secret of the Metallic Comet from Another Star System
When the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS approached the Sun, its tail lit up with a metallic sheen, as if a tin can full of nickel and iron had burst open. By breaking down its light into colors, astronomers detected the lines of these metals using spectral analysis.