3I/ATLAS is the gift that keeps on giving. Even after all of the hype has died down, after all of its weird-o behavior was proven to have not been of alien origin, it’s still being its weird-o self. This rocky visitor from outside our solar system, it turns out, is covered in alcohol and could, theoretically, get you absolutely wasted if you drank (or huffed) some of it.
According to research reported by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory and observations using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, scientists studying the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS have detected unexpectedly high levels of methanol, a simple alcohol molecule, in the cloud of gas surrounding the comet.
As you may know, if you’ve been following my coverage of 3I/ATLAS’s journey through our solar system, as it moved closer to the sun, it caused the ice on its surface to vaporize, releasing gas and dust that formed a glowing cloud called a coma. Researchers have studied that cloudy material with powerful radio telescopes and have been able to analyze the chemistry cocktail going on in that tail.
Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Might Be Able to Get You Drunk
Compared with comets formed in our own solar system, 3I/ATLAS contains an unusually large amount of methanol relative to hydrogen cyanide. Researchers say that the imbalance likely means the comet formed under very different conditions than the comets we’re used to, possibly in colder environments or within a planetary system with a different chemical makeup than our own.
Methanol isn’t unusual in space. It often shows up in a variety of places, such as icy dust grains inside interstellar clouds, where it eventually becomes incorporated into comets as planets and other smaller celestial bodies gradually form.
The difference here is the concentration, which is significantly higher than that observed in comets that form within our solar system. While we may never get the opportunity to study it in person, perhaps capture a swig of its alcohol content to study its particular vintage. Luckily, we have instruments here on earth that allow us to get an accurate analysis from the comfort of home.
The post Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Can Get You Drunk appeared first on VICE.
