Latest news with #MinorPlanetCentre
Arabian Business
04-07-2025
- Science
- Arabian Business
UAE observatory captures rare interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, only the third ever discovered
An astronomical breakthrough has taken place in the UAE, as the Al Khatim Astronomical Observatory in Abu Dhabi successfully imaged a newly discovered interstellar comet—only the third ever recorded in human history. The object, named 3I/ATLAS, was discovered by NASA on July 1 using the ATLAS survey telescope in Chile. Classified as an interstellar comet, it originated from another solar system and has been drifting through deep space for billions of years before entering ours just days ago. UAE captures rare interstellar comet The '3I' prefix signifies its status as the third interstellar object ever detected, following ʻOumuamua in 2017 and 2I/Borisov in 2019. The comet is currently about 670million kilometres from the Sun, travelling at a staggering 221,000 kilometres per hour. It poses no threat to Earth, with its closest approach expected to be 240 million kilometres away. On July 3, astronomers at Al Khatim Observatory captured the faint comet —currently at magnitude 17.5—over a 45-minute session, producing 45 long-exposure images. While the stars appear as streaks in the photographs, the comet is visible as a moving dot. The UAE observatory's findings have been officially submitted to the Minor Planet Centre (MPC) of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), making Al Khatim the first Arab observatory to document scientific observations of 3I/ATLAS. The comet will reach its closest point to the Sun on October 30, 2025, at a distance of 210 million kilometres and a predicted brightness of magnitude 11, making it faintly visible through amateur telescopes.
NDTV
03-07-2025
- Science
- NDTV
NASA Detects 'Interstellar Visitor' Hurtling Through Solar System
Astronomers have observed what they believe to be the third detected "interstellar object" speeding through the solar system in the direction of the Earth. The visiting space object is expected to depart the cosmic neighbourhood permanently after making its closest approach to the Sun in about four months, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The comet-like body, designated 3I/ATLAS by the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Centre, is hurtling towards the Sun at a speed of over 60 kilometres per second and is believed to have come from interstellar space. Here, "interstellar" means the object came from outside the solar system, likely another star system. It is not bound by the Sun's gravity and is only passing through on a trajectory that shows it didn't form here and won't stay. Originally known as A11pl3Z, the object was initially detected in data gathered between June 25 and June 29 by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), which uses telescopes in South Africa and Hawaii to automatically scan the night sky, Live Science reported. With a potential 12-mile (20-kilometre) range, A11pl3Z is most likely a large asteroid or potentially a comet. It is travelling into the inner solar system at roughly 152,000 mph (245,000 km/h) and is approaching Earth from the area of the night sky where the Milky Way's bar is located. The Minor Planet Centre (MPC), operated by the International Astronomical Union, officially designated the object as interstellar on Tuesday after analysing its trajectory and preliminary observational data. Experts believe that A11pl3Z came from somewhere outside the gravitational pull of the Sun and has enough momentum to fly through our cosmic neighbourhood without slowing down. However, more observations are necessary to make a definitive statement. "It looks kind of fuzzy," astronomer Peter Veres, who works for the MPC of the International Astronomical Union, told AFP. The A11pl3Z "will fly deep through the Solar System, passing just inside the orbit of Mars," but it will have no effect on the nearby planets, Mr Veres said. Richard Moissl, head of planetary defence at the European Space Agency, claimed that A11pl3Z is not a threat to Earth. The object is reportedly believed to be between 10 and 20 kilometres wide, making it the largest interstellar intruder ever discovered. However, it may be smaller if the object is composed of ice, which reflects more light. This marks the third occasion that humans have discovered something coming from the stars into the solar system. There have only been two confirmed interstellar visitors so far. The first one was Oumuamua, a cigar-shaped object that grabbed headlines in 2017 when some astronomers speculated that it might be an alien probe before experts determined it was most likely a space rock that shot hydrogen. The second one was Comet 2I/Borisov, observed in 2019, as it sailed through the solar system.
The Age
03-07-2025
- Science
- The Age
Astronomers investigate mystery ‘interstellar' object speeding through our solar system
'Now we've got dozens and dozens of observations from loads of different people,' said Matthew Payne, director of the Minor Planet Centre. 'And so it's like becoming almost 100 per cent certain that it's interstellar.' The object is surprisingly bright. Although it cannot be seen by the naked eye, modest-sized telescopes can spot it. 'This is the most interesting question in my mind right now,' said Avi Loeb, an astrophysicist at Harvard. 'What accounts for its very significant brightness?' That is especially intriguing if the surface turns out to be dark, like that of a rocky asteroid. In that case, the object would have to be big, about 19 kilometres wide, to reflect the amount of light observed. That would be larger than the asteroid that slammed into Earth 66 million years ago, which unleashed the mass extinction that killed off the dinosaurs. Finding an interstellar object that big would be a surprise, Loeb said. It would possess about 10 million times the mass of Oumuamua, he said. Loading Because small bodies are much more bountiful than large ones, the existence of a 19-kilometre-wide interstellar object would imply that astronomers should have also seen millions of Oumuamua-sized ones. A11pI3Z could turn out to be an interstellar comet like Borisov, the second interstellar object observed. For a comet, the brightness comes from sunlight bouncing off a plume of gas and dust, and the nucleus would be considerably smaller. 'If we find that it's a comet, nothing surprising here,' Loeb said. Loeb offered one other possibility. 'The final possibility, and I'm getting more speculative here, is that it makes its own light,' he said. 'Probably unlikely, but this is what comes to my mind.' When Oumuamua was discovered in 2017, Loeb speculated that it could be an alien artifact because of its unusual shape, like a cigar or a disc, and because it seemed to be pushed by a force other than gravity. He has since proposed a possible alien origin for odd material found on the seafloor of the Pacific. 'The good thing about this object is because it's bright, it will give us so much data that nobody would be able to deny it. If it has anomalies, nobody can shove them under the carpet of conventional thinking.' Avi Loeb, Harvard astrophysicist Whether it is a comet or a rock is a question that should be answered within a few days as larger telescopes point to A11pI3Z. If it is a comet, astronomers will see a tail. Astronomers will also have months to study it. Analysis of specific colours emitted could identify elements and molecules on its surface. Loeb said infrared measurements by the James Webb Space Telescope could measure how much heat was coming off the surface. 'If the object is tumbling, we would see the surface area changing over time,' Loeb said, 'and by that, infer, in three dimensions, the shape of the object. That'd be very exciting.' In contrast, the smaller Oumuamua faded out of view after only a few weeks, leaving many of its mysteries unsolved. The Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile, which will soon begin scanning the full sky every three to four days, should find more interstellar objects, even further away. This will provide a more complete view of the interstellar objects passing through our solar system. Something that no one will need to worry about is A11pI3Z hitting Earth. In October, when it makes its closest pass to the sun, it appears that A11pI3Z will still be outside the orbit of Mars. In addition, Earth will be on the other side of the sun, so there will be more than 200 million miles of buffer between Earth and A11pI3Z. If A11pI3Z turns out not to be a comet, astronomers could be left with a lot of perplexing puzzles to solve. 'The good thing about this object is because it's bright, it will give us so much data that nobody would be able to deny it,' Loeb said. 'If it has anomalies, nobody can shove them under the carpet of conventional thinking. 'Science is about discovering things you don't expect. It's the opportunity to stay a child and learn something new. And I love it,' he added.
Sydney Morning Herald
03-07-2025
- Science
- Sydney Morning Herald
Astronomers investigate mystery ‘interstellar' object speeding through our solar system
'Now we've got dozens and dozens of observations from loads of different people,' said Matthew Payne, director of the Minor Planet Centre. 'And so it's like becoming almost 100 per cent certain that it's interstellar.' The object is surprisingly bright. Although it cannot be seen by the naked eye, modest-sized telescopes can spot it. 'This is the most interesting question in my mind right now,' said Avi Loeb, an astrophysicist at Harvard. 'What accounts for its very significant brightness?' That is especially intriguing if the surface turns out to be dark, like that of a rocky asteroid. In that case, the object would have to be big, about 19 kilometres wide, to reflect the amount of light observed. That would be larger than the asteroid that slammed into Earth 66 million years ago, which unleashed the mass extinction that killed off the dinosaurs. Finding an interstellar object that big would be a surprise, Loeb said. It would possess about 10 million times the mass of Oumuamua, he said. Loading Because small bodies are much more bountiful than large ones, the existence of a 19-kilometre-wide interstellar object would imply that astronomers should have also seen millions of Oumuamua-sized ones. A11pI3Z could turn out to be an interstellar comet like Borisov, the second interstellar object observed. For a comet, the brightness comes from sunlight bouncing off a plume of gas and dust, and the nucleus would be considerably smaller. 'If we find that it's a comet, nothing surprising here,' Loeb said. Loeb offered one other possibility. 'The final possibility, and I'm getting more speculative here, is that it makes its own light,' he said. 'Probably unlikely, but this is what comes to my mind.' When Oumuamua was discovered in 2017, Loeb speculated that it could be an alien artifact because of its unusual shape, like a cigar or a disc, and because it seemed to be pushed by a force other than gravity. He has since proposed a possible alien origin for odd material found on the seafloor of the Pacific. 'The good thing about this object is because it's bright, it will give us so much data that nobody would be able to deny it. If it has anomalies, nobody can shove them under the carpet of conventional thinking.' Avi Loeb, Harvard astrophysicist Whether it is a comet or a rock is a question that should be answered within a few days as larger telescopes point to A11pI3Z. If it is a comet, astronomers will see a tail. Astronomers will also have months to study it. Analysis of specific colours emitted could identify elements and molecules on its surface. Loeb said infrared measurements by the James Webb Space Telescope could measure how much heat was coming off the surface. 'If the object is tumbling, we would see the surface area changing over time,' Loeb said, 'and by that, infer, in three dimensions, the shape of the object. That'd be very exciting.' In contrast, the smaller Oumuamua faded out of view after only a few weeks, leaving many of its mysteries unsolved. The Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile, which will soon begin scanning the full sky every three to four days, should find more interstellar objects, even further away. This will provide a more complete view of the interstellar objects passing through our solar system. Something that no one will need to worry about is A11pI3Z hitting Earth. In October, when it makes its closest pass to the sun, it appears that A11pI3Z will still be outside the orbit of Mars. In addition, Earth will be on the other side of the sun, so there will be more than 200 million miles of buffer between Earth and A11pI3Z. If A11pI3Z turns out not to be a comet, astronomers could be left with a lot of perplexing puzzles to solve. 'The good thing about this object is because it's bright, it will give us so much data that nobody would be able to deny it,' Loeb said. 'If it has anomalies, nobody can shove them under the carpet of conventional thinking. 'Science is about discovering things you don't expect. It's the opportunity to stay a child and learn something new. And I love it,' he added.
ABC News
03-07-2025
- Science
- ABC News
Astronomers discover 3I/ATLAS — third interstellar object to visit our Solar System
For only the third time in history, astronomers have discovered a new interstellar object that originated from outside our Solar System. The object, known as 3I/ATLAS, is likely a comet and is much faster than any other interstellar object found before. The object appears to be hurtling towards our Sun at about 60 kilometres a second. "This thing is coming in at such an incredible speed that absolutely nothing in the Solar System could have caused this," Jonti Horner, an astronomer at the University of Southern Queensland, said. There are only two other interstellar objects that have previously been tracked entering our Solar System — 'Oumuamua and Comet 2I/Borisov. "It's so exciting," Professor Horner added. Rumblings of the potential interstellar object started in astronomy groups when the object was first detected early this week. "It has been picked up so early — relatively speaking — that we've got at least eight months [during which] we'll be able to observe it," he said. The object was first detected by the ATLAS telescope in Chile on 1 July. Follow-up observations confirmed the orbit was extremely unusual — almost unaffected by the Sun's gravity, Professor Horner said. But it wasn't until yesterday that scientists at the Minor Planet Centre in the US confirmed the object was an interstellar object. They also suggested the object was likely a comet, due to images that showed it had a short tail. More observations will need to be done to confirm this, and get more detail about the object. However, because 3I/ATLAS has been found so early, astronomers will have plenty of time to track it as it moves through the Solar System. Currently, estimates suggest it will be closest to the Sun at the end of October, before returning out past Jupiter and into the outer Solar System by March next year. Unfortunately, Earth will be on the other side of the Solar System when 3I/ATLAS is closest to the Sun and at its brightest, making it harder for us to see. "If we were on Mars, we'd have a fairly good view of it," Professor Horner said. "It's not going to be hugely close to Mars, but it's going to be a lot closer to Mars than it will to the Earth." Because 3I/ATLAS might currently be going through an outburst — a sudden brightening caused by dust and gas being released by the object — it's difficult to track its size. 'Oumuamua was quite a small object, and estimates on the size of 2I/Borisov ranged from about 1 kilometre to more than 16km in diameter. "I would say this is probably more along the lines of a few hundred metres to a kilometre across, maybe a bit bigger than that," Professor Horner said. "Which is big, but not exceptional." With the first images from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory released just last week, it's likely that this is just a taste of what is to come. Interstellar objects have been extremely rare so far, but with better telescopes like the Rubin Observatory, we're likely to catch many more of these objects when they arrive. "We've had three [interstellar objects] in less than a decade with our current technology," Professor Horner said. "The Rubin Observatory is probably an order of magnitude better at finding things … so that would suggest we'll find a few of these per year." Within its first 10 hours of operation the observatory detected more than 2,000 previously unknown asteroids in the Solar System.
