comets

Webb telescope captures icy body transforming into a comet for the first time

Astronomers have for the first time observed an icy body in the outer solar system actively transforming into a comet, capturing a long-theorized but never-before-seen stage of small-body evolution. A team led by planetary scientist Charles Schambeau of the University…

Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is twice as old as the Sun, study finds

Astronomers using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile have measured the chemical fingerprints of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, finding that it likely formed in the outer regions around an ancient, chemically poor star — making it potentially more…