New Delhi, Nov. 3 -- NASA scientists have made a significant breakthrough. They confirmed the detection of water's chemical signature on the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. This discovery could fundamentally change our understanding of cometary evolution and whether distant planetary systems might hold the core ingredients for life.

The interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS was first identified on 1 July 2025. It was found by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) in Hawaii. 3I/ATLAS is only the third interstellar object ever detected. The others were 1I/'Oumuamua in 2017 and 2I/Borisov in 2019.

Unlike most comets that orbit the Sun, 3I/ATLAS is currently travelling on a hyperbolic trajectory. This means it did not originate in ou...