Overview
- A NASA-led team using ALMA detected significant gaseous methanol and hydrogen cyanide in 3I/ATLAS, only the third known interstellar object.
- Methanol makes up about eight percent of the vapor, roughly four times typical comet levels, with production rates for both molecules among the highest ever measured.
- The analysis attributes the gases to the object's core, with methanol also observed in the surrounding coma.
- Recent ESA JUICE images show two tails and heavy gas release following the object's closest approach to the Sun.
- The findings come from a preprint pending peer review, with JWST observations expected this month and a full JUICE dataset slated for February 2026; public speculation about artificial origins remains unverified.