Latest news with #AmericanAstronomicalSociety
Forbes
5 days ago
- Science
- Forbes
Strange New Object Found In Solar System ‘Dancing' With Neptune
Astronomers surveying the outer solar system have revealed that a rare object far beyond Neptune is moving in sync with the eighth planet in an unexpected way. Called 2020 VN40 and first discovered in 2020, it takes 1,655 Earth-years to orbit the sun. The news comes just weeks after 2023 KQ14 — nicknamed 'Ammonite' — was found beyond Neptune and Pluto. Together, these newly found objects change the way astronomers think distant objects move and how the solar system evolved. The orbital path of 2020 VN40 — in yellow — is tilted up and to the left from the orbits of most of ... More the objects in the solar system. PSI/Kathryn Volk 2020 VN40 is currently 140 times farther from the sun than Earth. For context, Neptune is 29 times farther from the sun than Earth. However, the object's orbit is highly elliptical, getting just 40 times farther from the sun than Earth. Most planets — including Earth — orbit the sun in nearly the same flat plane. Some distant objects, such as 2020 VN40, have orbits that are highly inclined relative to this plane. The object appears to be in a 10:1 resonance with Neptune, meaning that it orbits the sun once for every ten orbits Neptune completes. It's the first object ever found to do that. The size of 2020 VN40 is unknown because it's too far away to be directly measured. However, based on its brightness, it may have a diameter of around 56 miles (90 kilometers). Published this month in the American Astronomical Society's The Planetary Science Journal , the discovery supports the theory that many distant objects get captured by Neptune's gravity as they drift through the outer solar system. 'This is a big step in understanding the outer solar system,' said Rosemary Pike, lead researcher from the Center for Astrophysics, Harvard and Smithsonian in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 'It shows that even very distant regions influenced by Neptune can contain objects, and it gives us new clues about how the solar system evolved.' It could also shed light on the motion of objects in the outer solar system. 'This new motion is like finding a hidden rhythm in a song we thought we knew,' said Ruth Murray-Clay, co-author of the study, from the University of California in Santa Cruz. 'It could change how we think about the way distant objects move.' 2020 VN40 took six years to be discovered and for its orbit to be mapped. It was discovered by astronomers working on the Large Inclination Distant Objects survey, a search for unusual objects in the outer solar system with orbits that extend far above and below the plane of the solar system. It's a region of the solar system that few astronomers have studied. The researchers used the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope and Gemini North in Hawaii and Magellan Baade and Gemini South in Chile. The LiDO survey has now found over 140 distant objects. The Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile, which published its first stunning images in June, is expected to find many more objects in the outer solar system. 'With the imminent start of Rubin Observatory's Legacy Survey of Space and Time, we expect many more such discoveries to open a new window into the solar system's past,' said Kathryn Volk of the Planetary Science Institute. Rubin is also expected to find more interstellar objects — such as ancient comet 3I/ATLAS. Background Another newly discovered object that could reshape astronomers' understanding of the solar system's past is 'Ammonite,' or 2023 KQ14, an object discovered in the solar system beyond Neptune and Pluto. Classed as a sednoid — an object similar to Sedna, a dwarf planet candidate in the outer solar system found in 2003 — Ammonite orbits beyond Neptune and has a highly eccentric orbital path. It's thought to be between 137 and 236 miles (220 and 380 kilometers) in diameter and between 70 and 432 times farther from the sun than Earth. Further Reading Forbes Meet 'Ammonite' — A New World Just Found In The Solar System By Jamie Carter Forbes Complete Guide To 'Ammonite,' The Solar System's Latest Member By Jamie Carter Forbes See The First Jaw-Dropping Space Photos From Humanity's Biggest-Ever Camera By Jamie Carter Forbes World's Biggest Camera May Find 50 Interstellar Objects, Scientists Say By Jamie Carter Forbes Where Newly Found 'Ammonite' Is In Solar System — And Why It Matters By Jamie Carter
Washington Post
24-06-2025
- Science
- Washington Post
Astronomer Vera Rubin was captivated by the stars as a child in D.C.
The young mother stood before an imposing panel of scientists, nervous about leaving her newborn for the first time but determined to present her thesis about the astronomical center of creation. 'Then one by one many angry sounding men got up to tell me why I could not do 'that',' Vera C. Rubin wrote about the way she was treated by the American Astronomical Society at its December 1950 meeting.
Forbes
24-06-2025
- Science
- Forbes
Asteroid May Hit Satellites And Cause Spectacular Shooting Stars — What To Know
A potential asteroid strike on the moon calculated by NASA could also pose a significant risk to satellites orbiting Earth, according to new research. Scheduled for a possible collision on December 22, 2032, asteroid 2024 YR4's diameter is equivalent to a 10-story building and would cause a new crater on the moon, ejecting material into space that could threaten the entire satellite fleet orbiting Earth. It could also cause a brief but spectacular meteor shower visible from Earth. Asteroid 2024 YR4 is 174-220 feet (53-67 meters) in diameter and could impact the moon on December ... More 22, 2032. (This artist's impression not related to YR4) getty Dubbed a 'city killer' when it was initially thought to be heading towards Earth, asteroid 2024 YR4 is 174-220 feet (53-67 meters) in diameter and could impact the moon on December 22, 2032. In that scenario, it would release energy equivalent to 6.5 megatons of TNT, forming a crater roughly one kilometer in diameter, according to a new paper published on June 12 on the preprint platform and submitted to the journals of the American Astronomical Society. According to the authors at The University of Western Ontario and Athabasca University in Canada, up to 100 million kilograms of lunar material could be blasted into space, with debris potentially escaping the moon's gravity and heading toward Earth. Satellites in low Earth orbit — which accounts for about 90% of the global fleet — will be particularly at risk, with hundreds or even thousands of minor impacts across fleets like SpaceX's Starlink broadband internet constellation. That would happen within a few days of YR4 striking the moon. Tiny meteoroids are constantly striking satellites, and with ejecta from YR4's impact measuring only 0.1-10 mm in size, satellites wouldn't suffer catastrophic damage. However, the huge increase in tiny meteoroids could be equivalent to a decade's worth, rapidly aging the entire satellite fleet. Debris could linger in Earth's orbit for months to years, creating ongoing threats to long-duration missions, such as the James Webb Space Telescope. However, its current position at L2 — a million miles from Earth — minimizes that danger. While ejecta from a lunar asteroid strike could be damaging to satellites, it would burn up in Earth's atmosphere, so it won't directly threaten Earth. However, it may create a brief but spectacular meteor shower. There is currently a 4.3% chance of YR4 striking the moon, according to calculations based on observations by the James Webb Space Telescope in May, according to a post from NASA. That's an increase from 3.8% from data gathered in March. It's predicted to strike the Southern Hemisphere of the moon's near-side. That means it will be visible from Earth in telescopes. However, exactly where it will strike remains uncertain until the asteroid becomes visible again in 2028 when its orbit next brings it relatively close to Earth. The authors recommend a planetary defense mission to change the orbit of YR4. Danger On The Moon Although satellites would be threatened, the biggest dangers lie on the moon and in its orbit. An asteroid strike would cause ejecta to impact a wide area of the lunar surface, potentially threatening astronauts or a potential lunar base. Spacecraft operating on the moon would also be in danger. They currently include NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, while NASA's planned Lunar Gateway could be in orbit by 2032. On Wednesday, Firefly Aerospace announced plans to launch a new lunar imaging service called Ocula using its Elytra spacecraft, ostensibly to help commercial companies identify mineral deposits on the moon's surface and map future landing sites. Yr4's 'spectacular' Meteor Shower About 10% of the ejecta produced by the asteroid striking the moon would be propelled into space, potentially causing a meteor shower that "could last a few days and be spectacular, though the number of visible meteors somewhat muted by the low entry speed of ejecta," reads the paper. Any YR4 meteor shower would come just eight days after the peak of the Geminids, one of the very few annual displays caused by debris from an asteroid rather than a comet. Peaking on December 13-14 each year when up to 12 "shooting stars" can be seen, the Geminids are the result of asteroid 3200 Phaethon, which orbits the sun every 1.4 Earth years. Forbes NASA's Webb Telescope To Study Asteroid 2024 YR4 As Impact Risk Rises By Jamie Carter Forbes 'City Killer' Asteroid Suddenly Declared Safe — What To Know By Jamie Carter Forbes What Happens If Asteroid 2024 YR4 Strikes Earth — And Why We Can't 'Nuke' It By Jamie Carter
New York Times
22-06-2025
- Science
- New York Times
Vera Rubin's Legacy Lives On in a Troubled Scientific Landscape
In January, the American Astronomical Society hosted a panel to discuss how the Vera C. Rubin Observatory would transform scientific studies of dark matter, dark energy and the faintest corners of the cosmos. All six panelists, each holding a leadership role related to the observatory, were women. The message, intentional or not, was clear: The legacy of the astronomer Vera C. Rubin, for whom the observatory was named, was not just the way her work revolutionized scientists' understanding of the universe. It was also the way Dr. Rubin charted a path for women and other historically underrepresented groups in science to do the same. 'The universe is universal,' Sandrine Thomas, the deputy director of construction at the observatory, said at the panel. The telescope is now poised to begin the widest, deepest scan of the southern sky in an altered political climate, one in which American science is facing sharp cuts to funding, research project cancellations and rollbacks of programs related to diversity, equity and inclusion, or D.E.I. Astronomers worry about what that means for the future of the observatory, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation and was renamed in 2019 near the end of the first Trump administration for Dr. Rubin. 'She was the ultimate role model for women in astronomy in the generation after her,' said Jacqueline Mitton, an astronomer based in England and an author of a biography of Dr. Rubin. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
NASA raises chance for asteroid to hit the moon
June 19 (UPI) -- NASA has announced that an asteroid about 200 feet in diameter is now slightly more likely to crash into the moon. According to the newest data collected, NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has refined the expected course for Asteroid 2024 YR4 and has given it an increased 4.3% probability of striking the moon on Dec. 22, 2032. The original likelihood was at 3.8% probability. The space rock is too far off in space to be detected with ground telescopes, but the James Webb Space Telescope, which orbits the sun, was able to take a new look at the space rock earlier this month before it was obscured from view. It was that opportunity that provided the data that led to the changed forecast. Due to YR4's solar orbit, NASA won't be able to view it again until it comes back around the sun in 2028. According to a research paper submitted to the American Astronomical Society journals and published Monday, should the asteroid hit the moon, it could cause a crater as large as around 3,200 feet and release 6.5 megatons of energy. As much as 220 million pounds of lunar material could be released by such an impact, and then as much as 10% of that ejecta could fall to Earth a few days later, so "meteorites are unlikely, though not impossible" according to the paper, but it would create an "eye-catching" meteor shower. However, any moon bits that do come toward the Earth also could increase the meteoroid impact exposure faced by satellites in near-Earth orbit for as long as a decade.
