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Webb sniffs methane from interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS
European Space Agency, 2026. ESA Multimedia.
The June 2026 release of Webb MIRI results on 3I from December 2025: the first methane detected on an interstellar object, at a methane-to-water ratio rare in the Solar System, and a confirmed high CO2-to-water ratio, pointing to a formation environment unlike most Solar System comets. Published in ApJL.
What it's used for here
The latest composition result for 3I.
Our copy
Research copy, for editors and curators. The work is the publisher's, so readers are sent to it. We keep this copy so the citation can be checked if the page changes or goes.
esa.int · fetched 29 Oct 2026
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1I/'Oumuamua
MYSThe mystery article
Cite it
European Space Agency (2026). Webb sniffs methane from interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS. ESA Multimedia. https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2026/06/Webb_sniffs_methane_from_interstellar_Comet_3I_ATLAS
@misc{esa2026webb,
author = {European Space Agency},
title = {Webb sniffs methane from interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS},
howpublished = {ESA Multimedia},
year = {2026},
url = {https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2026/06/Webb_sniffs_methane_from_interstellar_Comet_3I_ATLAS}
}TY - ELEC TI - Webb sniffs methane from interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS AU - European Space Agency PY - 2026 JO - ESA Multimedia UR - https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2026/06/Webb_sniffs_methane_from_interstellar_Comet_3I_ATLAS ER -
. “Webb sniffs methane from interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS.” ESA Multimedia (2026).