Yes, interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is older than the Solar System
12 billion years old, this interstellar comet is older than our Solar System.
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Summary
12 billion years old, this interstellar comet is older than our Solar System. 3I/ATLAS was a fleeting visitor to our Solar System. Such objects have been passing by since the Solar System’s birth.
Furthermore, The first key property is the color of the interstellar interloper 3I/ATLAS. As time goes by, the fraction of all carbon in the galaxy that is carbon-13 is increasing. Carbon-12, with 6 neutrons, makes up the most common form of stable carbon; carbon-13 has 7 neutrons and makes up the remaining 1.1% of stable carbon; carbon-14 is unstable, with a half-life of a little more than 5,700 years, but is constantly being formed in Earth’s atmosphere due to incident cosmic rays.
In addition, The research team estimates that 3I/ATLAS could have formed as long as 10 to 12 billion years ago, during the universe’s “ cosmic noon ,” when star formation was at its height. As stars create carbon in their interiors, they also act to convert carbon-12 (the most common isotope) into carbon-13, through a process called “ hot bottom burning ”.
Cross-referenced from 4 sources.
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12 billion years old, this interstellar comet is older than our Solar System.
reliability moderate3/3 sources3I/ATLAS was a fleeting visitor to our Solar System.
reliability moderate2/2 sourcesSuch objects have been passing by since the Solar System’s birth.
reliability moderate2/2 sourcesSpotted in 2025 , 3I/ATLAS is the third interstellar comet that astronomers have identified flying through our solar system, after 1I/ʻOumuamua and 2I/Borisov.
reliability moderate2/2 sourcesThe first key property is the color of the interstellar interloper 3I/ATLAS.
reliability moderate3/3 sourcesAs time goes by, the fraction of all carbon in the galaxy that is carbon-13 is increasing.
reliability moderate2/2 sources
Reported detailssecondary facts, each attributed to its source
While less than 0.1% (and as little as 0.01%) of the hydrogen content in Solar System comets is made of heavy hydrogen, a whopping 0.98% — about a factor of 30-50 greater than typical Solar System values — of the hydrogen content in 3I/ATLAS is deuterium.
according to Big ThinkCarbon-12, with 6 neutrons, makes up the most common form of stable carbon; carbon-13 has 7 neutrons and makes up the remaining 1.1% of stable carbon; carbon-14 is unstable, with a half-life of a little more than 5,700 years, but is constantly being formed in Earth’s atmosphere due to incident cosmic rays.
according to Big ThinkThe research team estimates that 3I/ATLAS could have formed as long as 10 to 12 billion years ago, during the universe’s “ cosmic noon ,” when star formation was at its height.
according to NASA Breaking NewsAs stars create carbon in their interiors, they also act to convert carbon-12 (the most common isotope) into carbon-13, through a process called “ hot bottom burning ”.
according to The Conversation - AustraliaScientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.
according to Scientific AmericanOne year ago, on July 1 2025, astronomers discovered a fascinating new object moving through the Solar System.
according to The Conversation - AustraliaA paper detailing the findings published June 22 in the journal Nature .
according to NASA Breaking NewsSince then researchers have used the space-based James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the ground-based Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile to study the gas spouting out from 3I/ATLAS as the sun’s heat has burned up its icy insides.
according to Scientific American
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Spotted in 2025 , 3I/ATLAS is the third interstellar comet that astronomers have identified flying through our solar system, after…
omitted byLeft sidePublic / Agenciescovered byCenterThe first key property is the color of the interstellar interloper 3I/ATLAS.
omitted byLeft sidecovered byCenterPublic / Agencies12 billion years old, this interstellar comet is older than our Solar System.
omitted byPublic / Agenciescovered byLeft sideCenterAs time goes by, the fraction of all carbon in the galaxy that is carbon-13 is increasing.
omitted byCentercovered byLeft sidePublic / Agencies3I/ATLAS was a fleeting visitor to our Solar System.
omitted byPublic / Agenciescovered byLeft sideCenter
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