Latest news with #RichardMoissl
Daily Tribune
04-07-2025
- Science
- Daily Tribune
Third-ever confirmed interstellar object blazing through Solar System
AFP |Washington Astronomers on Wednesday confirmed the discovery of an interstellar object racing through our Solar System -- only the third ever spotted, though scientists suspect many more may slip past unnoticed. The visitor from the stars, designated 3I/Atlas, is likely the largest yet detected, and has been classified as a comet, or cosmic snowball. 'It looks kind of fuzzy,' Peter Veres, an astronomer with the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center, which was responsible for the official confirmation, told AFP. 'It seems that there is some gas around it, and I think one or two telescopes reported a very short tail.' Originally known as A11pl3Z before it was confirmed to be of interstellar origin, the object poses no threat to Earth, said Richard Moissl, head of planetary defense at the European Space Agency. 'It will fly deep through the Solar System, passing just inside the orbit of Mars,' but will not hit our neighboring planet, he said. Excited astronomers are still refining their calculations, but the object appears to be zooming more than 60 kilometres (37 miles) a second. This would mean it is not bound by the Sun's orbit, unlike objects that remain within the solar system. Its trajectory also 'means it's not orbiting our star, but coming from interstellar space and flying off to there again,' Moissl said. 'We think that probably these little ice balls get formed associated with star systems,' added Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. 'And then as another star passes by, tugs on the ice ball, frees it out. It goes rogue, wanders through the galaxy, and now this one is just passing us.' A Chile based observatory that is part of the NASA-funded ATLAS survey first discovered the object on Tuesday
BBC News
03-07-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Comet 3I/Atlas: Astronomers spot object that's travelled from outside the Solar System
Astronomers have discovered an interstellar object speeding through our Solar 3l/ATLAS, the comet is estimated to be around six-12miles in length and is travelling at over sixty kilometres a second. It is expected to steers clear of Earth and pass inside Mars's orbit, before swinging past the Sun and exiting the Solar System in the next few only the third time that experts have spotted an object in the Milky Way that's come from a different solar system. What did scientists find? According to Nasa, 3l/ATLAS was first spotted on 1 July, by a telescope in the south American country of Chile. Experts think that the visitor from the stars is likely to be the largest one ever detected, and it has been classified as a comet, or a cosmic only the third time that such an object has been spotted in the Milky Way. The first interstellar visitor was discovered in 2017, and the second one in say that 3l/ATLAS appears to be zooming more than 37 miles a scientists say that it will not travel close to our Moissl from the European Space Agency, explained: "It will fly deep through the Solar System, passing just inside the orbit of Mars," but will not hit our neighbouring path that 3l/ATLAS is following in space also "means it's not orbiting our star, but coming from interstellar space and flying off to there again," Moissl expect the object will continue to brighten as it nears the Sun, bending slightly under the pull of gravity, and is expected to reach its closest point on 29 will then move further away and exit the Solar System over the next few hope that's while it's in the Milky Way, 3l/ATLAS could reveal more about the potential for life in deep space.
Malay Mail
03-07-2025
- Science
- Malay Mail
Cosmic visitor from beyond: 3I/Atlas confirmed as third interstellar object to enter Solar System, likely the largest yet
PARIS, July 3 — Astronomers yesterday confirmed the discovery of an interstellar object racing through our Solar System — only the third ever spotted, though scientists suspect many more may slip past unnoticed. The visitor from the stars, designated 3I/Atlas, is likely the largest yet detected, and has been classified as a comet, or cosmic snowball. 'It looks kind of fuzzy,' Peter Veres, an astronomer with the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Centre, which was responsible for the official confirmation, told AFP. 'It seems that there is some gas around it, and I think one or two telescopes reported a very short tail.' Originally known as A11pl3Z before it was confirmed to be of interstellar origin, the object poses no threat to Earth, said Richard Moissl, head of planetary defence at the European Space Agency. 'It will fly deep through the Solar System, passing just inside the orbit of Mars,' but will not hit our neighbouring planet, he told AFP. Excited astronomers are still refining their calculations, but the object appears to be zooming more than 60 kilometres a second. This would mean it is not bound by the Sun's orbit, unlike objects that remain within the solar system. Its trajectory also 'means it's not orbiting our star, but coming from interstellar space and flying off to there again,' Moissl said. 'We think that probably these little ice balls get formed associated with star systems,' added Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics. 'And then as another star passes by, tugs on the ice ball, frees it out. It goes rogue, wanders through the galaxy, and now this one is just passing us.' A Chile based observatory that is part of the Nasa-funded ATLAS survey first discovered the object on Tuesday. Professional and amateur astronomers across the world then searched through past telescope data, tracing its trajectory back to at least June 14. The object is currently estimated to be roughly 10-20 kilometres wide, Moissl said, which would make it the largest interstellar interloper ever detected. But the object could be smaller if it is made out of ice, which reflects more light. Veres said the object will continue to brighten as it nears the Sun, bending slightly under the pull of gravity, and is expected to reach its closest point — perihelion — on 29 October. It will then recede and exit the Solar System over the next few years. Our third visitor This marks only the third time humanity has detected an object entering the solar system from the stars. The first, 'Oumuamua, was discovered in 2017. It was so strange that at least one prominent scientist became convinced it was an alien vessel—though this has since been contradicted by further research. Our second interstellar visitor, 2I/Borisov, was spotted in 2019. There is no reason to suspect an artificial origin for 3I/Atlas, but teams around the world are now racing to answer key questions about things like its shape, composition, and rotation. Mark Norris, an astronomer at the UK's University of Central Lancashire, told AFP that the new object appears to be 'moving considerably faster than the other two extrasolar objects that we previously discovered.' The object is currently roughly around the distance from Jupiter away from Earth, Norris said. Norris pointed to modelling estimating that there could be as many as 10,000 interstellar objects drifting through the Solar System at any given time, though most would be smaller than the newly discovered object. If true, this suggests that the newly online Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile could soon be finding these dim interstellar visitors every month, Norris said. Moissl said it is not feasible to send a mission into space to intercept the new object. Still, these visitors offer scientists a rare chance to study something outside of our Solar System. For example, if we detected precursors of life such as amino acids on such an object, it would give us 'a lot more confidence that the conditions for life exist in other star systems,' Norris said. — AFP
Al Arabiya
03-07-2025
- Science
- Al Arabiya
Third-ever confirmed interstellar object blazing through solar system
Astronomers on Wednesday confirmed the discovery of an interstellar object racing through our solar system — only the third ever spotted, though scientists suspect many more may slip past unnoticed. The visitor from the stars, designated 3I/Atlas, is likely the largest yet detected and has been classified as a comet, or cosmic snowball. 'It looks kind of fuzzy,' Peter Veres, an astronomer with the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center, which was responsible for the official confirmation, told AFP. 'It seems that there is some gas around it, and I think one or two telescopes reported a very short tail.' Originally known as A11pl3Z before it was confirmed to be of interstellar origin, the object poses no threat to Earth, said Richard Moissl, head of planetary defense at the European Space Agency. 'It will fly deep through the solar system, passing just inside the orbit of Mars,' but will not hit our neighboring planet, he told AFP. Excited astronomers are still refining their calculations, but the object appears to be zooming more than 60 kilometers (37 miles) a second. This would mean it is not bound by the Sun's orbit, unlike objects that remain within the solar system. Its trajectory also 'means it's not orbiting our star, but coming from interstellar space and flying off to there again,' Moissl said. 'We think that probably these little ice balls get formed associated with star systems,' added Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. 'And then as another star passes by, tugs on the ice ball, frees it out. It goes rogue, wanders through the galaxy, and now this one is just passing us.' A Chile-based observatory that is part of the NASA-funded ATLAS survey first discovered the object on Tuesday. Professional and amateur astronomers across the world then searched through past telescope data, tracing its trajectory back to at least June 14. The object is currently estimated to be roughly 10–20 kilometers wide, Moissl said, which would make it the largest interstellar interloper ever detected. But the object could be smaller if it is made out of ice, which reflects more light. Veres said the object will continue to brighten as it nears the Sun, bending slightly under the pull of gravity, and is expected to reach its closest point — perihelion — on October 29. It will then recede and exit the solar system over the next few years. This marks only the third time humanity has detected an object entering the solar system from the stars. The first, ʻOumuamua, was discovered in 2017. It was so strange that at least one prominent scientist became convinced it was an alien vessel — though this has since been contradicted by further research. Our second interstellar visitor, 2I/Borisov, was spotted in 2019. There is no reason to suspect an artificial origin for 3I/Atlas, but teams around the world are now racing to answer key questions about things like its shape, composition, and rotation. Mark Norris, an astronomer at the UK's University of Central Lancashire, told AFP that the new object appears to be 'moving considerably faster than the other two extrasolar objects that we previously discovered.' The object is currently roughly around the distance from Jupiter away from Earth, Norris said. Norris pointed to modeling estimating that there could be as many as 10,000 interstellar objects drifting through the solar system at any given time, though most would be smaller than the newly discovered object. If true, this suggests that the newly online Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile could soon be finding these dim interstellar visitors every month, Norris said. Moissl said it is not feasible to send a mission into space to intercept the new object. Still, these visitors offer scientists a rare chance to study something outside of our solar system. For example, if we detected precursors of life such as amino acids on such an object, it would give us 'a lot more confidence that the conditions for life exist in other star systems,' Norris said.
Time of India
03-07-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Mysterious interstellar object enters solar system; the largest, fastest, and only the third ever recorded
For only the third time in recorded history, astronomers have confirmed the arrival of an object from beyond our solar system . Now officially designated 3I/ATLAS (also known as C/2025 N1), the comet-like body is racing toward the Sun at more than 60 kilometers per second, and is believed to have originated from interstellar space. The Minor Planet Center (MPC), operated by the International Astronomical Union, officially classified the object as interstellar on July 2, 2025, following trajectory analysis and early observational data. Its motion, unbound by the Sun's gravity, confirms that it originated outside the solar system and is just passing through. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Play War Thunder now for free War Thunder Play Now Undo Also Read: They survived ice ages and hunted mammoths; so why did the Neanderthals suddenly disappear? Now a physicist blames something in the sky What is the new interstellar object 3I/ATLAS? The object was first spotted on July 1, 2025, by NASA 's ATLAS survey in Hawaii, under the temporary name A11pl3Z. Live Events 3I/ATLAS has been classified as interstellar, meaning it is not orbiting the Sun and will eventually leave our solar system altogether. The only two previously confirmed interstellar objects of this category are ' Oumuamua (2017) and Comet 2I/Borisov (2019). Astronomers believe the object is a comet made mostly of ice, as indicated by a faint coma and tail unlike 'Oumuamua, which sparked debate due to its unusual shape and lack of comet-like activity. Early estimates place its size between 10 and 20 kilometers in diameter, making it potentially the largest interstellar object ever detected. Is there any threat to Earth? According to Richard Moissl, head of planetary defense at the European Space Agency, the object is zooming through the solar system at over 60 km/s (37 miles/s). It is expected to reach perihelion (its closest approach to the Sun) in October 2025, at around 2 AU (twice the Earth-Sun distance). The object will pass just inside Mars's orbit without posing any threat to Earth. According to physicist and VLBI radio astronomer Marshall Eubanks, it could get close enough to be detectable by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. By April 2026, it is expected to reach 90 km/s relative to Earth, potentially setting a record for the fastest such flyby ever recorded. Observations Amateur and professional astronomers have independently confirmed images of 3I/ATLAS. Astrophotographer Filipp Romanov captured the object using a remote telescope in Chile. At the same time, Sam Deen and the Deep Random Survey provided supporting data by locating the object in archival imagery dating back to late June. Currently visible only from the Southern Hemisphere, the object has a visual magnitude of around 18.8, highly dim to unaided observation. However, advanced amateur telescopes may be able to capture it as it brightens to magnitude 16 by August. Astronomer Eddie Irizarry has released star charts showing the comet's expected path through the constellation Sagittarius and past star clusters like M3. Though sending a mission to intercept 3I/ATLAS is not feasible due to its high speed and late detection, studying its composition and behavior can offer rare insights into the formation of other star systems. If precursors of life, such as amino acids, are ever found on such objects, it could significantly strengthen the case for extraterrestrial life . As Mark Norris, an astronomer at the University of Central Lancashire, said to AFP, 'These visitors offer scientists a rare chance to study something from beyond our own star system, a direct sample from another corner of the galaxy.' The object will remain observable with powerful telescopes into next year, gradually fading as it exits the solar system. Some models suggest that thousands of such objects may drift through at any given time, most too small or dim to detect.
