--- title: "NASA’s James Webb Discovers That 3I/ATLAS Let One Rip as It Passed Through Solar System" description: "NASA's James Webb Space Telescope \"sniffed methane\" from interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, roughly two months after its perihelion." date: "2026-06-06" modified: "2026-06-06" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/space/nasa-james-webb-3i-atlas-methane" categories: - "Astronomy" - "ESA" - "NASA" - "Off-World" - "Space" --- # NASA’s James Webb Discovers That 3I/ATLAS Let One Rip as It Passed Through Solar System ![Illustration featuring a young man gripping his nose as a cloud of gas wafts past him, set over a putrid green background.]() *Illustration by Tag Hartman-Simkins / Futurism. Source: Shutterstock* The mysterious interstellar object 3I/ATLAS fascinated scientists as it made its way through the inner solar system last year, closely passing by several planets before careening back into space, never to be seen again. Researchers continue to pore over the [treasure trove of data ground- and space-based telescopes gathered]() about the object, which affords an extremely rare up-close glimpse at an object from beyond our star system. Most recently, scientists analyzed new data collected by the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) attached to NASA's James Webb Space Telescope — and made a curious discovery. In the [words of the European Space Agency](), the telescope "sniffed methane" from the mysterious lump of ice, dust, and rock in mid- and late-December, roughly two months after its perihelion, or when it made its closest approach of the Sun. In other words, 3I/ATLAS appears to have let one rip as it whipped through our cosmic neighborhood. Flatus jokes aside, the significance of the first-ever chemical fingerprint of an interstellar object can't be understated. For one, it's the first time we've ever detected methane gas while observing an interstellar object, [hinting at a highly intriguing origin story]() that differs from familiar comets in our own solar system. The MIRI images, as detailed in a [new paper]() published in the journal *The Astrophysical Journal Letters*, show the distribution not just of methane, but of carbon dioxide and water as well. Since the gas was released after perihelion, a period when comets give off the most amount of material as they're heated up, scientists suggest the methane was buried deep below the comet's surface before it emerged from beneath a thick, icy shell. That's especially true likely since methane is extremely volatile and sublimates from ice into gas very easily, as [NASA points out](). Furthermore, the amount of methane scientists found relative to water in the object was surprisingly high when compared to other solar system comets. The latest observations also corroborate previous findings that 3I/ATLAS was [abundant in carbon dioxide](), making it stand out even more. "Both these findings point to a very different formation environment and chemistry than the vast majority of comets that formed within our Solar System," the ESA wrote. **More on 3I/ATLAS:** [*Scientist Suggests That 3I/ATLAS May Have Seeded Life as It Careened Through Our Solar System*]() ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()