Tailless Comet Could Date from Solar System’s Formation

Astronomers have spotted a piece of material likely dating from the formation of the solar system. The object, called C/2014 S3 (PANSTARRS), is twice as far from the sun as Earth, with an orbital period of 860 years, which means it likely comes from the Oort Cloud, a band of icy objects in the outermost parts of the solar system. Researchers writing in the journal Science Advances say the object is the first “to be discovered on a long-period cometary orbit that has the characteristics...

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