Latest news with #TonyDunn
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Large Unidentified Object Detected Entering Our Solar System
In 2017, 'Oumuamua stunned scientists as the interstellar object entered and then exited the solar system, something previously unprecedented in the world of astronomy. In 2019, the comet Borisov was deemed the second interstellar object to enter our solar system. However, in 2022, another object was found to have previously come into our solar system and struck earth, without notice, in 2014. These three are the only known interstellar objects to have entered our solar system in recorded human history. But now a fourth and much larger object has been spotted entering the solar system, and the scientific community is rushing to study what, exactly, this thing is. While these findings are subject to change as more data becomes available, the object, dubbed A11pl3Z, is quite large. According to a Medium article by Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb, A11pl3X's H-magnitude of 12, previously listed by NASA, suggests a diameter of about 20 kilometers. Recent adjustments to the H-magnitude, now listed at 13.6, indicate that it may be even larger. Another interpretation of the data, according to Loeb, could suggest that A11pl3Z is smaller than these estimates, but a plume of gas and dust are creating the illusion of a much larger object. This simulation of A11pl3Z's trajectory, created by amateur astronomer Tony Dunn, shows its likely path in relation to the sun and planets: According to Dunn's projected trajectory, the object is expected to pass quite far from Earth but inside Mars' orbit, measuring 2.4 times as far from Earth as Earth's distance from the Sun when it reaches its closest point on Dec. 17 of this year. Marshall Eubanks, physicist and co-founder of Space Initiatives, commented on the object's speed to the The Minor Planet Mailing List, writing 'next April (2026) it will have a velocity relative to Earth of ~ 90 km/s. That should set a record.' Eubanks added that the object may be visible from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter when it passes 'relatively close to Mars' in October. The Minor Planet Mailing List hosts public discourse as a service to the astronomical community, and is, according to its website, 'populated with many of the world's best amateur astronomers as well as many professional astronomers involved in all facets of asteroid and comet research.' Large Unidentified Object Detected Entering Our Solar System first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 2, 2025
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Business Standard
02-07-2025
- Science
- Business Standard
Third interstellar object spotted? A11pI3Z stirs global astronomy buzz
Has a third interstellar visitor entered our solar system? The astronomical community is abuzz with excitement as early data suggests that a newly spotted object, dubbed A11pI3Z, may have originated from beyond our solar system. While confirmation is still pending, astronomers are closely watching tonight's observations, which could mark the discovery of only the third known interstellar object after 'Oumuamua and Borisov. The object, A11pI3Z, was first flagged by the ATLAS telescope system, with observations now stretching back to June 25, thanks to data uncovered by citizen scientist Sam Deen. According to early orbital estimates, the object is on a hyperbolic trajectory with an eccentricity far exceeding the threshold that defines a bound solar system orbit. For context, an eccentricity above 1 indicates a hyperbolic, and thus interstellar, path. This places A11pI3Z firmly in the realm of interstellar origins. 'With an eccentricity near 10, this is like nothing seen before. The comet is screaming by us,' one astronomer posted on X, highlighting the object's extreme speed and unusual path. Confirmation efforts have ramped up in recent hours. Another amateur astronomer confirmed A11pI3Z's identity remotely using the T72 system in Chile, capturing five stacked 20-second exposures and measuring the object's brightness at magnitude 17.5 G on July 2, 2025. 3rd interstellar object discovered? Maybe. There's a lot of buzz right now in the Astro community. More observations should come in tonight to confirm if A11pI3Z is from beyond the solar system. — Tony Dunn (@tony873004) July 2, 2025 If confirmed, A11pI3Z will join ʻOumuamua (2017) and Comet Borisov (2019) as only the third known interstellar object to be detected passing through our solar system — a rare and valuable opportunity to study material from beyond our stellar neighbourhood. More observations are expected to come in over the next 24–48 hours, which should further refine the object's orbit and composition. More about interstellar candidate A11pI3Z On July 1, 2025, the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center officially listed the object A11pI3Z on its Near-Earth Object (NEO) confirmation page. It has also appeared on NASA/JPL's NEO Confirmation Page under the same designation. While it's being tracked as a near-Earth object, astronomers have clarified that it poses no threat to Earth and is not expected to pass anywhere near our planet. The object is currently headed towards the sun, as indicated by the observations of a number of astronomers around the world. The closest approach is expected in October 2025. If verified, A11pI3Z could be a historic discovery — a cosmic message in a bottle from the depths of interstellar space.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
What we know about 300ft asteroid that has a chance of crashing into Earth
A freshly spotted asteroid that is up to 300ft wide detected by an automated telescope in December has a small chance of hitting Earth in 2032, scientists have said. The asteroid has been designated 2024 YR4 and is believed to have a 1-in-83 chance of striking Earth. Currently 27 million miles from Earth, it's too early to know where it could strike but it has been placed top of impact priority lists and is being scanned by scientists around the world Such an impact could cause devastating damage, either in the form of an 'airburst' explosion or an explosion on impact. The asteroid was spotted on 27 December by NASA's Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS). ATLAS is a warning system for asteroid impacts consisting of four telescopes. It is designed to offer a minimum of 'several weeks' of warning before the impact of a 300ft asteroid like 2024 YR4. As telescope technology has improved, the number of asteroids spotted has increased, although the number of space rocks remains the same. Recently-discovered #asteroid 2024 YR4 may make a very close approach to Earth in 8 years. It is thought to be 40-100 meters wide. Uncertainty is still high and more and more observations are needed confirm this. — Tony Dunn (@tony873004) January 28, 2025 The European Space Agency estimates that the asteroid is between 40m (131ft) and 100m (328ft). That would potentially make the space rock's width similar to the height of Big Ben in London, which is 316ft tall. The time of closest approach to Earth (when it could potentially impact) is the 22 December, 2032. According to NASA's Center of Near Earth Object studies, it should pass within 66,000 miles of our planet on that day. The range of uncertainties in the calculation means an impact is possible. As of this week, the asteroid has a 1.2% chance of hitting Earth, according to the European Space Agency. In recent history, the 'odds' of asteroids hitting Earth have tended to go down the more that astronomers observe an asteroid. The asteroid has been ranked as 'level 3' on the Torino Impact Hazard scale - but NASA says this is likely to drop. NASA describes level 3 asteroids as a "close encounter, meriting attention by astronomers. Current calculations give a 1% or greater chance of collision capable of localised destruction." It adds: "Most likely, new telescopic observations will lead to re-assignment to Level 0. Attention by public and by public officials is merited if the encounter is less than a decade away." NASA's Atlas says that an 100m asteroid has 10 times the destructive force of the 2021 Tonga volcanic eruption, which caused a large explosion and tsunamis in several countries. The damage caused by such an explosion would vary depending on where the asteroid hit. "An asteroid this size impacts Earth on average every few thousand years and could cause severe damage to a local region," the European Space Agency has said. NASA says that the impact could kill up to a million people, "averaged over all possible impact locations". NASA says, 'These deaths could result from a direct hit or by tsunami (tidal wave) in the event of an ocean strike.' An asteroid 'blew up' over the Russian town of Chelyabinsk in 2013. It is thought to have been around 60 feet across. During the 2013 Chelyabinsk event, 1,500 people were injured and 7,300 buildings damaged by the intense overpressure generated by the shockwave at Earth's surface. A 5-meter rock is estimated to target Earth once a year, and a 50-meter rock once every thousand years, according to NASA. Smaller rocks, like the asteroid that exploded over Chelyabinsk, will hit our planet every 10 to 100 years.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
An asteroid is heading for Earth - but you'll have to wait a while to find out if we're gonna get hit
A massive asteroid could slam into Earth in the next seven years. Known as Asteroid 2024 YR4, the nearly 200-foot large space rock could hit just before Christmas of 2032. Discovered last Christmas by Arizona's Catalina Sky Survey, the asteroid is currently the only Near-Earth Object that has been placed at a level three on Torino impact hazard scale, giving it the highest probability of impact of any other large objects being tracked by NASA and other space agencies. The scale categorizes potential Earth impact events. This marks 'one of the highest probabilities of an impact from a significantly sized rock ever,' David Rankin, from the Catalina Sky Survey, wrote on BlueSky. Although, more observation is needed to understand how close 2024 YR4 could come to Earth. 'Recently-discovered asteroid 2024 YR4 may make a very close approach to Earth in eight years,' said Tony Dunn, an amateur astronomer who shared a visualization of the asteroid on X (formerly Twitter). 'It is thought to be 40-100 meters wide. Uncertainty is still high and more observations are needed to confirm this.' Dunn's animation of the asteroid shows it skimming Earth at an altitude of 301 miles, with its trajectory altered by the planet's gravitational pull. This is less than half the distance of most low-Earth orbit satellites, suggesting that it could even be pulled into Earth's atmosphere at that altitude. The 'risk corridor' for impact stretches from South America, across central Africa, and up towards India and South-East Asia. But, this could shift as new data emerges. Just how devastating the impact would potentially be depends not only on the size of the asteroid, but also its composition. By comparison, the asteroid that ended the age of the dinosaur is estimated to be between six and nine miles wide. However, astronomers say the odds of a collision are around 1-in-83. 'We are not worried at all, because of this 99 percent chance it will miss," Paul Chodas, director of NASA's Center for Near Earth Object Studies, told The Associated Press. 'But it deserves attention.' 2024 YR4 is currently hurdling through space some 27 million miles from Earth, traveling at a velocity of 13.5 km/s, according to NASA's Eyes on Asteroid.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
An asteroid is heading for Earth - but you'll have to wait a while to find out if we're gonna get hit
A massive asteroid could slam into Earth in the next seven years. Known as Asteroid 2024 YR4, the nearly 200-foot large space rock could hit just before Christmas of 2032. Discovered last Christmas by Arizona's Catalina Sky Survey, the asteroid is currently the only Near-Earth Object that has been placed at a level three on Torino impact hazard scale, giving it the highest probability of impact of any other large objects being tracked by NASA and other space agencies. The scale categorizes potential Earth impact events. This marks 'one of the highest probabilities of an impact from a significantly sized rock ever,' David Rankin, from the Catalina Sky Survey, wrote on BlueSky. Although, more observation is needed to understand how close 2024 YR4 could come to Earth. 'Recently-discovered asteroid 2024 YR4 may make a very close approach to Earth in eight years,' said Tony Dunn, an amateur astronomer who shared a visualization of the asteroid on X (formerly Twitter). 'It is thought to be 40-100 meters wide. Uncertainty is still high and more observations are needed to confirm this.' Dunn's animation of the asteroid shows it skimming Earth at an altitude of 301 miles, with its trajectory altered by the planet's gravitational pull. This is less than half the distance of most low-Earth orbit satellites, suggesting that it could even be pulled into Earth's atmosphere at that altitude. The 'risk corridor' for impact stretches from South America, across central Africa, and up towards India and South-East Asia. But, this could shift as new data emerges. Just how devastating the impact would potentially be depends not only on the size of the asteroid, but also its composition. By comparison, the asteroid that ended the age of the dinosaur is estimated to be between six and nine miles wide. However, astronomers say the odds of a collision are around 1-in-83. 'We are not worried at all, because of this 99 percent chance it will miss," Paul Chodas, director of NASA's Center for Near Earth Object Studies, told The Associated Press. 'But it deserves attention.' 2024 YR4 is currently hurdling through space some 27 million miles from Earth, traveling at a velocity of 13.5 km/s, according to NASA's Eyes on Asteroid.
