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    3I/ATLAS contains 30 times more semi-heavy water than comets in our solar system

    April 24, 2026, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    This artist’s impression compares the semi-heavy water content of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS (left) and Earth (right). Insets illustrate the relative abundance of deuterated water (HDO) molecules, showing that 3I/ATLAS contains over 30 times more HDO than is found in Earth’s oceans. This elevated ratio suggests the comet formed in an extremely cold environment, very different from the conditions that shaped our Solar System.
    Credit: NSF/AUI/NSF NRAO/M.Weiss

    New observations of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS include the first measurement of the abundance of deuterated water relative to ordinary water in an interstellar object...

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    First-ever detection of ‘heavy water’ in a planet-forming disk

    October 16, 2025, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    This artist’s impression shows the evolution of heavy water molecules (H2O, HDO, and D2O) as they have been observed in giant molecular clouds, a planet forming-disk, and comets—before they eventually may have made their way to Earth.
    Credit: NSF/AUI/NSF NRAO/P. Vosteen, B. Saxton

    The discovery of ancient water in a planet-forming disk reveals that some of the water found in comets—and maybe even Earth—is older than the disk’s star itself, offering breakthrough insights into the history of water in our solar system.

    Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have made a first-ever detection of doubly deuterated water (Dâ‚‚O, or “heavy water”) in a planet-forming disk around V883 Ori, a young star...

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