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The Cosmic Dispatch

2026-11-01 · Your dose of the universe

This week's video

How Long Will the Universe Last?

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Most-viewed YouTube Short this week

How many galactic years old are we?

38,411 platform-reported views on YouTube.

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The big discovery

Heavy hydrogen in 3I/ATLAS's methane points to a frigid birthplace

Observations using the James Webb Space Telescope revealed that the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS contains methane with an unusually high deuterium-to-hydrogen ratio of approximately 3.2%. This measurement is about 13 times greater than that of comet 67P, which likely originated within our own solar system. Researchers suggest that such enrichment occurs in extremely cold environments around 10 degrees above absolute zero, where chemical reactions preferentially incorporate heavy hydrogen into ice grains. This finding provides a rare window into the early chemistry of another planetary system. However, the exact history remains a plausible model rather than a definitively identified birthplace, as direct measurements of distant star-forming regions are lacking and existing chemical models fall short of reproducing this high value.

Source: Phys.org · Reported 2026-11-01.

One mind-bending fact

Betelgeuse is haunted by a cosmic poltergeist tormenting the doomed star's atmosphere

New radio observations from 2021 to 2026 using the Very Large Array and ALMA confirmed that the red supergiant Betelgeuse possesses a smaller stellar companion named Siwarha. This companion orbits so closely that it passes directly through the supergiant's extended atmosphere, cutting through the gas and leaving a distinct wake in its path.

Watch our related video: When will Betelgeuse explode and will it hurt us? betelgeuse star stars space cosmos universe

See it for yourself

Same launch. A different world.

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Stay curious. Think cosmic.

Discovery and fact prepared with AI from original science reports.