Latest news with #interstellarcomet
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Astronomers spot rare interstellar comet speeding through solar system
RIO HURTADO, Chile - Astronomers say they have discovered an interstellar comet speeding through the solar system, making it only the third known object of its kind to originate from beyond the Sun's gravitational influence. The comet, recently designated 3I/ATLAS, was first observed on July 1 by the NASA-funded Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System telescope in Rio Hurtado, Chile. At the time of its unexpected discovery, the comet was about 420 million miles from Earth, near Jupiter, and closing in on what is considered the inner solar system. Despite its distance, NASA said the comet poses no threat to Earth or the Moon, as the interstellar object will remain at least 150 million miles away. A space diagram shows the comet passing between the orbits of Earth and Mars sometime during late fall or early winter, but because of the alignment of planets and the Sun from September through November, it is not expected to be visible. "The interstellar comet's size and physical properties are being investigated by astronomers around the world," NASA stated. "3I/ATLAS should remain visible to ground-based telescopes through September, after which it will pass too close to the Sun to observe. It is expected to reappear on the other side of the Sun by early December, allowing for renewed observations." See The Objects Humans Left Behind On The Moon Since its initial detection, telescopes located in Hawaii, South Africa, California and dozens of other sites have all spotted the comet, which was estimated to be moving through the galaxy at more than 130,000 miles per hour. Early estimates suggest the comet could have a diameter of at least 10 miles, but that figure remains uncertain due to observational limits. According to Nasa, a giant complex of dust and ice is usually less than 10 miles across but can eventually stretch millions of miles when the ice turns into gas and forms a tail. The space agency did not say where astronomers believe the comet originated, though most such objects are thought to come from the Kuiper Belt or the Oort Cloud. These regions are anywhere from about 3 billion miles to nearly a light-year away from Earth and are known for their icy, rocky debris left over from the formation of the solar system. Telescope Captures Stunning Images Of Not 1 But 19 Spiral Galaxies Currently, the comet is said to be observable only through high-powered telescopes, but that could change later in the year as the interstellar object makes its closest approach to Earth. The agency also did not state if they believe one day the interstellar object will one day enter into any type of orbit around the Sun. According to astronomers, the closest a recorded comet has ever come to Earth was in 1770, when what became known as Lexell's Comet passed about 1.4 million miles article source: Astronomers spot rare interstellar comet speeding through solar system
CBS News
a day ago
- Science
- CBS News
NASA finds new interstellar comet passing through solar system
NASA has discovered a new interstellar comet that's currently located about 420 million miles away from Earth. The space agency spotted the quick-moving object with the Atlas telescope in Chile on Tuesday and confirmed it was a comet from another star system. The new interstellar comet's official name is 3I/ATLAS. It's officially the third known interstellar object to pass through our solar system, and it poses no threat to Earth. The other two interstellar objects were 2I/Borisov, reported in 2019, and Oumuamua in 2017. This diagram provided by NASA/JPL-Caltech shows the trajectory of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as it passes through the solar system. NASA "These things take millions of years to go from one stellar neighborhood to another, so this thing has likely been traveling through space for hundreds of millions of years, even billions of years," Paul Chodas, director of NASA's Center for Near Earth Object Studies, said Thursday. "We don't know, and so we can't predict which star it came from." The newest visitor is 416 million miles from the sun, out near Jupiter, and heading this way at a blistering 37 miles per second. NASA said the comet will make its closest approach to the sun in late October, scooting between the orbits of Mars and Earth — but closer to the red planet than Earth at a safe 150 million miles away. Astronomers around the world are monitoring the icy snowball that's been officially designated as 3I/Atlas to determine its size and shape. Chodas told The Associated Press there have been more than 100 observations since its discovery, with preliminary reports of a tail and a cloud of gas and dust around the comet's nucleus. NASA said 3I/ATLAS should remain visible to telescopes through September, but then it will pass too close to the sun to observe. It is expected to reappear on the other side of the sun by early December, allowing for renewed observations. Based on its brightness, the comet appears to be bigger than the first two interstellar interlopers, possibly several miles across, Chodas said. It's coming in faster, too, from a different direction, and while its home star is unknown, scientists suspect it was closer to the center of our Milky Way galaxy. "We've been expecting to see interstellar objects for decades, frankly, and finally we're seeing them," Chodas said. "A visitor from another solar system, even though it's natural — it's not artificial, don't get excited because some people do ... It's just very exciting."
Yahoo
a day ago
- Science
- Yahoo
NASA discovers third interstellar comet
July 3 (UPI) -- NASA discovered the third interstellar comet through a survey telescope in Rio Hurtado, Chile. The interstellar comet first observed on Tuesday by NASA's Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Alert System telescope, or ATLAS, has been officially named 3I/ATLAS. A series of "pre-discovery" observations dating back to June 14 from three ATLAS Telescopes globally and the Zwicky Transient Facility in California's Palomar Observatory have since been collected, along with new observations from several telescopes since the initial report. "If confirmed, it will be the third known interstellar object from outside our solar system that we have discovered," Dr. Mark Norris, a senior lecturer in astronomy at the University of Central Lancashire, told The Guardian. Dr. Paul Chodas, director of the Center for Near Earth Object Studies at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, told The New York Times there is "no uncertainty" that the comet is from interstellar space, noting speeds that indicate it could not have originated in our solar system. "If you trace its orbit backward, it seems to be coming from the center of the galaxy, more or less," Chodas said. "It definitely came from another solar system. We don't know which one." The comet will reach its closest approach to the Sun around Oct. 30, but it shows no threat to Earth as it will remain at least 150 million miles away. It is currently about 416 million miles from the Sun. In December, the comet is expected to reappear on the other side of the Sun. The comet's size and physical attributes are being investigated. It is expected to remain visible to ground-based telescopes through September. Jake Foster, a Royal Observatory Greenwich astronomer, said: "At the moment, the comet is not expected to be visible to the naked eye, but it should be visible through a reasonably sized amateur telescope in late 2025 and early 2026. As it is studied more over the coming weeks, we'll get a better idea of just how visible it will realistically be." In 2017 Oumunamua traveled through the solar system as the first interstellar object. In 2019, the second interstellar comet, Borisov passed by.
CTV News
a day ago
- Science
- CTV News
NASA identifies newly discovered object as an interstellar comet that will keep a safe distance
This diagram provided by NASA/JPL-Caltech shows the trajectory of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as it passes through the solar system. (NASA/JPL-Caltech via AP) CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA has discovered an interstellar comet that's wandered into our backyard. The space agency spotted the quick-moving object with the sky-surveying Atlas telescope in Chile earlier this week, and confirmed it was a comet from another star system. It's officially the third known interstellar object to pass through our solar system and poses no threat to Earth. The newest visitor is 416 million miles (670 million kilometres) from the sun, out near Jupiter. NASA said the comet will make its closest approach to the sun in October, scooting between the orbits of Mars and Earth — but closer to the red planet than us at a safe 150 million miles (240 million kilometres) away. Astronomers around the world are monitoring the comet — an icy snowball officially designated 3I/Atlas — to determine its size and shape. It should be visible by telescopes through September, before it gets too close to the sun, and reappear in December on the other side of the sun. The first interstellar visitor observed from Earth was Oumuamua, Hawaiian for scout, in honor of the observatory in Hawaii that discovered it in 2017. Classified at first as an asteroid, the elongated Oumuamua has since showed signs of being a comet. The second object confirmed to have strayed from another star system into our own —— 21/Borisov — was discovered in 2019 by a Crimean amateur astronomer with that name. It, too, is believed to be a comet. ___ Marcia Dunn, The Associated Press The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
