Finding the summer triangle in the night sky this week
As featured in last week's article, astronomers now believe that 3I/Atlas, the 12 mile-wide object that recently entered our solar system, is literally a wandering galactic relic that is probably billions of years old. Discovered by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System, (ATLAS), telescope in Chile, 3I/Atlas is gathering a similar amount of attention as the large cigar-shaped object Oumuamua, (pronounced oh MOO-uh MOO-uh), drew when it passed through our neck of the woods in 2017.
3I/Atlas is currently speeding through our solar system at 150,000mph, scheduled to Mars in October at a distance of 18 million miles from the red planet, then passing Earth at a distance of 150 million miles in December.
This intriguing object is thought to be in the order of seven billion years old, older than our Sun, estimated to have formed 4.6 billion years ago.
Measuring larger than the asteroid that brought the curtain down on the reign of the dinosaurs, 3I/Atlas heralds from a completely different region of the Milky Way, when compared to the previous two visitors, Oumuamua, and 2I/Borisov, the latter of which was discovered in August 2019.
Recently, a very rare event took place in the southern hemisphere whereby not one, but two stars went nova, giving observers the chance to see two 'new stars' shining brightly at night. In northern hemisphere skies, the skies we observe, (and not to be outdone), we may well have our own nova to look forward to.
A nova and a supernova derive from the same stable but arise from different causes involving stars in different phases of their lives, but needless to say a supernova is a major outburst with a nova less so. The latter applies to a star named T Corona Borealis which every 80 years dims slightly before erupting, and should become visible to the naked eye.
T Corona Borealis is situated in a small constellation named Corona Borealis, not far from the bright star Vega. Whilst noted in Greek mythology, Corona Borealis also has a place in Welsh mythology, being referred to as Caer Arianrhod, 'the Castle of the Silver Circle,' the heavenly residence of Lady Arianrhod, the 'Silver Wheel Goddess of Wales'
Lasting occurring in 1946, T Corona Borealis dimmed in March 2023 as a precursor to the nova occurring, and if the outburst follows the same pattern, we could well see a nova in our skies.
Venus continues to 'shine' brightly in the skies before dawn and on mornings of Monday, July 21, and Tuesday, July 22, the crescent Moon makes for a lovely pairing.
Send your astrophotography pictures to: thenightsky@themoon.co.uk
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South Wales Argus
2 days ago
- South Wales Argus
Finding the summer triangle in the night sky this week
Looking at Vega whilst facing east, sweep a short distance down and to the left, and you'll find Deneb. Sweeping down and to the right from Deneb, Altair, can be found at a greater distance situated above the southeastern horizon. Together, these three bright stars form the 'Summer Triangle'. As featured in last week's article, astronomers now believe that 3I/Atlas, the 12 mile-wide object that recently entered our solar system, is literally a wandering galactic relic that is probably billions of years old. Discovered by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System, (ATLAS), telescope in Chile, 3I/Atlas is gathering a similar amount of attention as the large cigar-shaped object Oumuamua, (pronounced oh MOO-uh MOO-uh), drew when it passed through our neck of the woods in 2017. 3I/Atlas is currently speeding through our solar system at 150,000mph, scheduled to Mars in October at a distance of 18 million miles from the red planet, then passing Earth at a distance of 150 million miles in December. This intriguing object is thought to be in the order of seven billion years old, older than our Sun, estimated to have formed 4.6 billion years ago. Measuring larger than the asteroid that brought the curtain down on the reign of the dinosaurs, 3I/Atlas heralds from a completely different region of the Milky Way, when compared to the previous two visitors, Oumuamua, and 2I/Borisov, the latter of which was discovered in August 2019. Recently, a very rare event took place in the southern hemisphere whereby not one, but two stars went nova, giving observers the chance to see two 'new stars' shining brightly at night. In northern hemisphere skies, the skies we observe, (and not to be outdone), we may well have our own nova to look forward to. A nova and a supernova derive from the same stable but arise from different causes involving stars in different phases of their lives, but needless to say a supernova is a major outburst with a nova less so. The latter applies to a star named T Corona Borealis which every 80 years dims slightly before erupting, and should become visible to the naked eye. T Corona Borealis is situated in a small constellation named Corona Borealis, not far from the bright star Vega. Whilst noted in Greek mythology, Corona Borealis also has a place in Welsh mythology, being referred to as Caer Arianrhod, 'the Castle of the Silver Circle,' the heavenly residence of Lady Arianrhod, the 'Silver Wheel Goddess of Wales' Lasting occurring in 1946, T Corona Borealis dimmed in March 2023 as a precursor to the nova occurring, and if the outburst follows the same pattern, we could well see a nova in our skies. Venus continues to 'shine' brightly in the skies before dawn and on mornings of Monday, July 21, and Tuesday, July 22, the crescent Moon makes for a lovely pairing. Send your astrophotography pictures to: thenightsky@
Daily Record
14-07-2025
- Daily Record
Scientists find ice comet older than the Sun that may be visible from Earth this year
Possibly the oldest comet ever seen has been discovered by scientists who believe the ancient rock may predate the Sun. First spotted last week, comet 3I/ATLAS is only the third known object from beyond our solar system, and it is the first ever to travel to us from a completely different region of the Milky Way. And what's more, it may be visible from Earth later this year. The object, which is thought to be rich in ice, was first spotted on July 1, by the ATLAS survey telescope in Chile, when it was about 670 million km from the Sun. Oxford University astronomer Matthew Hopkins presented the exciting findings at the Royal Astronomical Society's National Astronomy Meeting in Durham last week. His team discovered the comet by complete surprise, just before the astronomer was due to go on holiday. But instead of the 'quiet Wednesday' he had planned, him and his fellow researchers found what may be the oldest space object ever discovered. "All non-interstellar comets such as Halley's comet formed with our solar system, so are up to 4.5 billion years old," Hopkins said. Halley's Comet is a famous periodic comet that orbits the Sun and is visible from Earth approximately every 75-76 years. It was last seen in 1986 and is predicted to return in mid-2061, and is named after its discoverer Edmond Halley. While Halley's comet is as old as our solar system, Hopkins believes 3I/ATLAS may be almost twice as ancient at seven billion years old. The astronomer continued: "Interstellar visitors have the potential to be far older, and of those known about so far our statistical method suggests that 3I/ATLAS is very likely to be the oldest comet we have ever seen." Two objects from elsewhere in the cosmos have been discovered previously, but 3I/ATLAS is estimated to be far older and larger. It is travelling on a steep path through the galaxy, and based on its trajectory, scientists believe it came from an area of the Milky Way called the 'thick disk'. The thick disk, found in many spiral galaxies such as the Milky Way, is a population of ancient stars which orbit either above or below the thin plane where the Sun and most other stars live. This recently discovered comet is estimated to be rich in water ice due to the fact it was formed around an old, thick-disk star. As the space object nears the Sun it will heat up, triggering vapour and dust that will give it a glowing tail as it shoots through space. Experts say that the ice comet may be visible through a standard telescope later this year, or in early 2026, so keen amateur astronomers should keep an eye out. "This is an object from a part of the galaxy we've never seen up close before," said Professor Chris Lintott, co-author of the study and presenter of the BBC's The Sky at Night. "We think there's a two-thirds chance this comet is older than the solar system, and that it's been drifting through interstellar space ever since." The team's findings come from applying a model developed during Hopkins' doctoral research, which simulates the properties of interstellar objects based on their orbits and likely stellar origins. This research model, dubbed the Ōtautahi-Oxford Model, marks the first real-time application of predictive modelling to an interstellar comet.
Daily Mail
14-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Comet or alien? Key piece of evidence shows interstellar object is a UFO
Earlier this month, astronomers spotted a bizarre interstellar object hurtling through the solar system. Dubbed 3I/ATLAS, this 12-mile long visitor has travelled to our sun from another star on a journey that could have taken billions of years. However, physicist Professor Avi Loeb says he has spotted the key piece of evidence that shows 3I/ATLAS could be an alien spacecraft as it's too big to be natural. Experts suggest that it must either be an exceptionally large solid mass or a smaller comet with a bright envelope of gas and dust. If it is not a comet, Professor Loeb says 3I/ATLAS is so impossibly large that the chances of it naturally reaching our sun are incredibly low. Professor Loeb says: 'It is difficult to imagine a natural process that would favor a plunge towards the inner solar system at 60km per second. 'An alternative is that the object targets the inner solar system by some technological design.' 3I/ATLAS was first spotted by astronomers on July 1 by NASA's Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System. After tracing its orbital path, scientists realized that its extremely elliptical orbit and high speed meant its origins lay outside the solar system. This makes it only the third interstellar object that humanity has detected, following 'Oumuamua in 2017 and Borisov in 2019. Arriving from the direction of the constellation Sagittarius, 3I/ATLAS is currently heading towards the inner solar system at 135,000 miles per hour. NASA predicts that it will reach its closest point to the sun on October 30, at a distance of 130 million miles - passing just within the orbit of Mars. Thankfully, the object poses no threat to Earth and will pass harmlessly at around 150 million miles away at its closest point. Since the object is currently around 300 million miles from Earth, astronomers can't directly measure how large it is. Instead, they try and work out how much light the object gives off and estimate its size based on how reflective it might be. If it is a solid object like an asteroid, which reflects around five per cent of the light that hits it, then 3I/ATLAS must be between 12 and 14 miles in diameter. That makes 3I/ATLAS up to 200 times larger than the 100-metre-long and extremely thin 'Oumuamua. Professor Loeb says this fact immediately made him suspicious since large objects are typically much rarer than smaller ones. Professor Loeb says: 'Now you ask, "how many objects on the scale of 'Oumuamua are there for each object that is 24km in size?" 'The answer is about a million. But we haven't seen a million 'Oumuamua-sized interstellar objects before seeing this one, it's very strange.' But Professor Loeb says that the strangeness of 3I/ATLAS' size doesn't stop there. In a paper, now accepted for publication by the Research Notes of the AAS, Professor Loeb asked what it would take for an object of 3I/ATLAS' size to reach Earth. Based on how often we see objects of this size, previous research calculated how many 12-mile-long objects could exist out in the Milky Way. When Professor Loeb took this number and multiplied it by the mass of 3I/ATLAS, the result 'makes zero sense'. He says: 'This ends up being a quarter of the mass of the stars in the Milky Way. 'But because only two per cent of the mass in stars is in heavy elements that make rocks, you don't have the mass to make enough rocks of this size.' The implication is that 3I/ATLAS is much, much rarer than its appearance in our Solar System suggests. In fact, Professor Loeb argues that objects this big are too rare for their appearance in the inner solar system to be random. Could it be anything else? The alternative explanation for 3I/ATLAS' apparent size is that it is much smaller and much more reflective than any asteroid. That would be possible if the interstellar object is a comet, a ball of ice and dust which moves very quickly through space. If it were a comet, the heat from the sun would evaporate a layer of ice and dust, which would reflect back a lot of light. This would explain why 3I/ATLAS appears to be so bright while maintaining that its core is small enough to be natural. This is the accepted answer among most astronomers and space agencies, with NASA and the European Space Agency labelling the object an 'interstellar comet'. 'Likely': The alternative explanation is that 3I/ATLAS is a comet with a bright, reflective envelope of gas and dust and a very small core While Professor Loeb says that this is the 'simplest and most likely' solution, he doesn't think that the evidence for the comet theory is conclusive. For example, he points to a recent observation by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT). The VLT did not find direct evidence of dust or gas being released by the object, but concluded that it was a comet based on surface 'reddening' caused by dust. Professor Loeb maintains that this could simply be caused by the fact that the surface is red. Likewise, observations showing the fuzzy streak of the comet's gas layer could be an artefact of the long exposure images and 3I/ATLAS' high speed. This doesn't mean that 3I/ATLAS isn't a comet, but Professor Loeb believes it's still too early to rule out the possibility that it is a solid object. The professor says: 'The good news is that it will come closer to the sun and it will get heated up by sunlight.
