3I/ATLASEvidence
Evidence · 3I/ATLAS
Cosmic-ray processing explains the CO2 and the red colour
Models of galactic cosmic-ray processing reproduce 3I's CO2 enrichment and red slope in the outer 15 to 20 m, and explain the late methane as layering made in transit with an exposure age of 0.9 to 3.1 billion years.
What it means
Key questionWhat is 3I/ATLAS made of, and why is its chemistry so unlike a Solar System comet's?
No answer ahead yet
Openunchanged
Still possibleunchanged
What it implies
- Some of the inbound oddities may describe 3I's journey rather than its birthplace.For the key question: What is 3I/ATLAS made of, and why is its chemistry so unlike a Solar System comet's?
Next steps 2
1
Compare gas lost with crust depth
Could shiftFair odds~20 h
11score
Details
Use the compiled production rates (Frincke and Seligman's table) to date when more than 20 m of surface had gone, and check whether the composition changed then. A change at that point favours the crust; a change well before or after weakens it.
2
Test whether a cosmic-ray crust can raise D/H to 1 per cent
Could shiftFair odds~30 h
8score
Details
Run the cosmic-ray processing model forward to predict how much a 20-m processed crust changes water D/H and 12C/13C. If processing cannot reach the measured ratios, the birthplace reading is strengthened; if it can, the isotopes no longer date the body.
Ranked by how likely each is to move the key question, for the time it takes
Sources 2
Cite it
Mysteries Department. (2026). Cosmic-ray processing explains the CO2 and the red colour [Evidence EVD0DFQ3VE858GD]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/EVD0DFQ3VE858GD
@misc{mysteriesdept_evd0dfq3ve858gd,
title = {Cosmic-ray processing explains the CO2 and the red colour},
author = {{Mysteries Department}},
year = {2026},
note = {Evidence, catalog key EVD0DFQ3VE858GD},
url = {https://mysteriesdept.com/r/EVD0DFQ3VE858GD}
}