Latest news with #InternationalAstronomicalUnion
National Geographic
7 days ago
- Science
- National Geographic
Pluto
The world was introduced to dwarf planets in 2006, when petite Pluto was stripped of its planet status and reclassified as a dwarf planet. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) currently recognizes two other dwarf planets, Eris and Ceres. What differentiates a dwarf planet from a planet? For the most part, they are identical, but there's one key difference: A dwarf planet hasn't "cleared the neighborhood" around its orbit, which means it has not become gravitationally dominant and it shares its orbital space with other bodies of a similar size. (Astronomers and other experts are debating this definition.) Is Pluto a Dwarf Planet? Because it has not cleared the neighborhood around its orbit, Pluto is considered a dwarf planet. It orbits in a disc-like zone beyond the orbit of Neptune called the Kuiper belt, a distant region populated with frozen bodies left over from the solar system's formation. The dwarf planet is a whopping 3.7 billion miles (5.9 billion kilometers) from the sun, and its average temperature hovers around -356 degrees Fahrenheit (-215 degrees Celsius). Pluto's surface is composed of a mixture of frozen nitrogen, methane, and carbon monoxide ices. The dwarf planet also has polar caps and regions of frozen methane and nitrogen. Pluto has three known moons, Hydra, Nix, and Charon. With a diameter of about 737 miles (1,186 kilometers), Charon is the largest of Pluto's moons. The duo's gravity puts them in a synchronous orbit, which means they face each other with the same side all the time. In January 2006, NASA launched its New Horizons spacecraft. It swung past Jupiter for a gravity boost and scientific studies in February 2007, conducted a six-month-long reconnaissance flyby study of Pluto and its moons in summer 2015, and culminated with Pluto's closest approach on July 14, 2015. As part of an extended mission, the spacecraft is heading farther into the Kuiper Belt to examine another of the ancient, icy mini-worlds in that vast region, at least a billion miles beyond Neptune's orbit. New Horizons also found Pluto to have blue skies and water ice. Pluto nearly fills the frame in this black and white image from the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) aboard NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, taken on July 13, 2015 when the spacecraft was 476,000 miles (768,000 kilometers) from the surface. This is the last and most detailed image sent to Earth before the spacecraft's closest approach to Pluto on July 14. Photograph courtesy NASA/APL/SwRI Ceres Also considered by many to be an asteroid, Ceres, like Pluto, was also renamed as a dwarf planet in 2006. Ceres was discovered by Italian astronomer Giuseppe Piazzi in 1801. Ceres's shape resembles a flattened sphere with a diameter of about 590 miles (950 kilometers). It is by far the largest and most massive known body in the asteroid belt, and it contains about one-third of the estimated total mass of all asteroids in the belt. Ceres is made up of a rocky inner core surrounded by a mantle of water-ice. A thin, dusty, outer crust covers the dwarf planet named after the Roman goddess of grain.
Time of India
14-07-2025
- Science
- Time of India
NASA confirms 3I/ATLAS as third interstellar object passing through our solar system
A mysterious object speeding through our solar system has officially been confirmed by NASA as an interstellar visitor — only the third of its kind ever recorded. The object, initially labelled A11pl3Z, has now been renamed 3I/ATLAS , with '3I' denoting its status as the third interstellar object detected. The discovery was made in late June 2025 by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), a NASA-funded network of telescopes scanning the skies from Hawaii, Chile, and South Africa. According to NASA's ATLAS project , the object was captured in data collected between June 25 and 29, with earlier sightings traced back to June 14. On July 1, both NASA and the International Astronomical Union (IAU) confirmed its interstellar status based on its speed, orbit, and trajectory—characteristics that make it distinctly not bound by the Sun's gravity. Meet third known interstellar visitor after ʻOumuamua and 2I/Borisov by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like [화제] 갱년기 불면증으로 고생하셨던 분들 '이것' 먹고 푹 주무세요! 리피어라 더 알아보기 Undo 3I/ATLAS is hurtling toward the Sun at an incredible speed of 152,000 miles per hour (245,000 km/h)—far faster than most objects orbiting within our solar system, according to reports. What makes this object truly remarkable, however, is its hyperbolic trajectory. Unlike typical comets or asteroids that follow elliptical paths around the Sun, a hyperbolic orbit means 3I/ATLAS isn't gravitationally bound to our star. Instead, it's passing through from deep space—entering the solar system once, then heading back out forever. In other words, this rare visitor is just making a brief stop in our cosmic neighbourhood before continuing its journey across the galaxy. According to planetary scientist Sarah Greenstreet of the University of Washington, 'Its orbit is too steep, and its speed is too great for it to be a solar system object' Only two other interstellar objects have ever been confirmed: ʻOumuamua in 2017—a cigar- or pancake-shaped object that left astronomers baffled. 2I/Borisov in 2019—a comet with more conventional behaviour. With just three known samples, studying 3I/ATLAS gives researchers an unprecedented chance to better understand the nature of objects from beyond our solar system. Astronomers race to study 3I/ATLAS before it leaves forever Astronomers are now racing to collect data on the object using a global network of ground- and space-based telescopes. 3I/ATLAS is thought to have a coma—the glowing halo of gas typical of comets—indicating that it contains volatile ices now vaporising as it nears the Sun. A recent observation suggests the object may appear reddish, hinting at its ancient composition—likely formed from primordial matter in another star system billions of years ago. Estimates suggest the object could be anywhere from 6 to 15 miles long, significantly larger than its predecessors. Its closest approach will bring it within 18 million miles of Mars in early October 2025. Several orbiters around the Red Planet may get the chance to image the object up close. As 3I/ATLAS speeds toward the inner solar system, scientists expect its cometary tail to grow, offering stunning visuals and deeper insight into its composition. 'We'll have a few more months before it heads back out,' said Aster Taylor, an astrophysicist at the University of Michigan. 'This is a rare chance to study a piece of another planetary system—up close and in real-time,' added Greenstreet. Also Read: The 10 most powerful telescopes on Earth and in space transforming modern astronomy
Daily Mail
10-07-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
Scientists crack mystery of 'interstellar object' racing through our solar system
A renowned physicist believes he's cracked the mystery of where a giant unidentified object hurtling through our solar system came from. Harvard physicist Avi Loeb and student researcher Shokhruz Kakharov have traced the path of the interstellar object known as 3I/ATLAS to a thicker part of the Milky Way galaxy's disk, where older stars are found. This 12-mile-wide visitor, traveling at 150,000 miles per hour, is now believed to be older than our sun, which is 4.6 billion years old. 'Simply put, 3I/ATLAS is among the elders in our cosmic block,' Loeb said. While astronomers are still waiting for this high-speed giant to get closer to Earth, Loeb revealed that 3I/ATLAS is starting to show signs it may be a comet. The scientist compared it to the interstellar comet 2I/Borisov that passed through our solar system in 2019. Initial observations by Earth-based telescopes are also hinting that 3I/ATLAS is a gigantic comet, with the International Astronomical Union noting the mystery object appears to have a cloud of gas and dust surrounding it and a short tail. The new study also delved into the mysterious origins of the last two interstellar objects that flew through the solar system, Borisov and 1I/Oumuamua, which Loeb still contends may have been an extraterrestrial probe, not a space rock. Loeb and Kakharov found that all three objects traveled a few thousand light-years closer to our galaxy's center than our sun has as it moves through space. The Milky Way is shaped like a flat disk spinning around its center, with a thin middle layer where younger stars form and a thicker layer where older stars tend to hang out. These stars have been scattered over billions of years by gravitational tugs from things like star clusters or galaxy collisions. By tracing the path of 3I/ATLAS backward, Loeb found that it traveled greater distances vertically through the galaxy, straying farther from the Milky Way's flat central plane than the sun does. This suggests the object is older than our solar system and originated within a region of the galaxy located roughly a few thousand light-years above the Milky Way's mid-plane, the imaginary flat surface that runs through its center. For reference, our solar system lies within about a thousand light-years of the central plane. The origin point of 3I/ATLAS is believed to be made up of stars, gas, and dust, with older stars spread out more due to their longer journeys through the cosmos. Loeb's study found that 3I/ATLAS took about 800 million years to travel across part of the Milky Way to reach our solar system. The scientists traced the paths of the other two interstellar objects using their speeds relative to the average motion of stars near the sun, a measurement called the Local Standard of Rest. Loeb said 1I/Oumuamua was moving in a relatively stable path to nearby stars before entering our solar system in 2017, suggesting it came from the thin disk where younger stars live. According to the findings in Astronomy & Astrophysics, Oumuamua took about one billion years to cross from the opposite side of the Milky Way's disk. Compared to the more than 4.6 billion-year-old 3I/ATLAS, the one to two billion-year-old Oumuamua is an interstellar 'kid' traveling through the cosmos. Meanwhile, 2I/Borisov's path was more similar to our sun's, suggesting it's about the same age as our home star, like a 'young adult' floating through the 14 billion-year-old universe. That comet took about 1.7 billion years to travel across the Milky Way to reach our solar system from the thin disk of younger stars. While 2I/Borisov was categorized as a comet, and 3I/ATLAS may soon follow, Loeb has maintained that Oumuamua has too many strange traits to dismiss the possibility that it is a UFO. Most notably, Oumuamua experienced an unexpected increase in speed as it passed through our solar system eight years ago - something that couldn't be explained by the gravitational pull of any planets, moons, or the sun. '1I/`Oumuamua is anomalous relative to 2I/Borisov and 3I/ATLAS, not only because it is much younger than they are, but also because it had an extreme disk-like shape, it exhibited a non-gravitational acceleration and it did not show any evidence for cometary activity,' Loeb wrote in an article on Medium Wednesday. Astronomers will be tracking 3I/ATLAS over the next year, with the object expected to make its closest pass to Earth on December 17. Scientists don't project that the mystery object will get anywhere near Earth. On its current trajectory, it'll come within 2.4 astronomical units of the planet (223 million miles). An astronomical unit (AU) is equal to the distance between Earth and the sun, 93 million miles. Technically, 3I/ATLAS is already in the solar system, and was 3.8 AU away from Earth as of July 2. In October, the object from outside the solar system is expected to make its closest pass to a planet, coming within 0.4 AU (37 million miles) of Mars. Scientists will look to gather information on its trajectory using telescopes like the Rubin Observatory in Chile, and possibly the James Webb Space Telescope in space. They'll hope to confirm that 3I/ATLAS is staying on its expected route, passing the sun in late October, swinging by Earth at a safe distance in December, and then flying past Jupiter in March 2026.
The Sun
08-07-2025
- Science
- The Sun
First astronomy module launched for visually impaired students
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia now has its first Astronomy Module for Students with Visual Impairments, marking a milestone in inclusive education. The module was launched yesterday by Science, Technology and Innovation Minister (Mosti) Chang Lih Kang at the National Planetarium. Specifically tailored for students under the Special Education Needs programme, it was developed through a partnership between the government, corporate stakeholders and academic institutions. It forms part of the Space Insight #PlanetariumGoldenHeart initiative, which aims to increase the involvement of persons with disabilities in space science under the broader science, technology and innovation framework. 'I personally see this as a very commendable initiative. We hope to see more efforts like this to support children with physical disabilities, who may not enjoy the same opportunities as others in their pursuit of knowledge, especially in astronomy,' Chang said. He noted that the module would have a meaningful impact on the education system by ensuring no student is left behind, regardless of physical limitations. 'With this module, students who are blind or visually impaired now have the chance to explore astronomy. I believe it will make a real difference. We also hope to see similar initiatives extended to students with other disabilities, such as hearing impairments.' Chang stressed the importance of ensuring equal access to learning across all fields, not just astronomy. 'This is in line with Mosti's mission to widen support for children with disabilities,' he added. The initiative also reflects the Madani government's commitment to equitable education for all, including children with special needs, starting from early childhood. The module, which incorporates adaptive teaching methods, will be integrated into primary-level science education. The ministry confirmed that it will be distributed to 12 selected schools nationwide that cater to visually impaired students. It will also feature outreach efforts under the Inclusive Astronomy Transit Programme, targeting schools involved in Special Education Integration and Inclusive Education programmes. In addition, the module will be shared internationally with member countries of the International Astronomical Union via its Working Group on Inclusive Outreach.
The Print
06-07-2025
- Health
- The Print
It's official: New object zipping through our solar system is the 3rd known interstellar visitor
Astronomers are gearing up to observe it across different wavelengths to learn about its composition, shape, and origin. Findings could offer insights into planetary formation in other star systems. With advanced telescopes like the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile, scientists said that more such interstellar visitors may soon follow. Its open, hyperbolic path confirms its origin beyond our Sun's gravitational grip. Currently, it is just inside Jupiter's orbit and will pass through the inner solar system in October, providing us a brief but exciting window for study. Signs of a tail visible in it suggest it's behaving like a comet, venting gas and dust as it heats up. New Delhi: Astronomers have spotted a rare celestial visitor: 3I/ATLAS, the third confirmed object from outside our solar system. Discovered on July 1 by a telescope in Chile that's part of NASA's ATLAS project, this object is moving at a record 68 km per second, which is faster than any interstellar body seen before. The discovery was described in a circular by the France-based International Astronomical Union on 2 July. New gene therapy holds promise for the hearing impaired Gene therapy is showing real promise for people with congenital deafness, according to a new international study involving Sweden's Karolinska Institute. In a peer-reviewed paper published on 2 July in Nature Medicine Journal, researchers described how they treated 10 patients, aged 1 to 24, in five different hospitals, who had severe hearing loss caused by mutations in the OTOF gene. This gene affects a protein called otoferlin, which is needed to send sound signals from the ear to the brain. The researchers injected a healthy copy of the gene directly into the inner ear. The results were remarkable with most patients regaining some hearing within a month, and all showed significant improvement after six months. The best responses came from children aged 5 to 8. One seven-year-old even began holding conversations within four months. The treatment was also deemed to be safe, with no serious side effects reported in the first 12 months. Researchers are now looking to expand this approach to treat other genetic causes of deafness, using the same gene therapy method. Also Read: That morning brew could be doing more than just jumpstarting your day—helping your cells age gracefully Forest collapse some 252 million years ago A new study has revealed that the worst extinction event on the Earth, 252 million years ago, led to the collapse of tropical forests, whose effects were felt for millions of years after. During what is known as the Permian-Triassic 'Great Dying' event, there was a lot of global warming caused by volcanic activity in Siberia. This global warming was seen as the main reason why most of the living beings died off. But scientists were confused about why the Earth's temperature remained so high even millions of years after the eruptions. Now, researchers from the University of Leeds and the China University of Geosciences in a new peer-reviewed study published 2 July in Nature Communications Journal suggest that the destruction of tropical forests due to the extinction event drastically slowed down carbon sequestration—the process by which plants trap carbon dioxide. Without forests, CO₂ built up and stayed in the atmosphere, keeping the planet hot. They studied ancient fossils and rocks to reconstruct changes in plant life and climate. Their data matched simulations showing how forest loss could explain the prolonged warming. The findings, according to the study, serve as a stark warning: if today's tropical forests collapse due to climate change, we might trigger a similar long-term climate crisis. The first ever complete human genome sequenced from Egypt In a new breakthrough, Italian and British scientists have sequenced the first complete human genome from ancient Egypt, using DNA extracted from a 4,500 to 4,800-year-old skeleton. The study was published in Nature Journal on 2 July. The man whose genome was sequenced lived during the era of the first pyramids and was buried in a hillside tomb in southern Egypt. Genetic analysis shows his ancestry was about 80 percent North African and 20 percent West Asian, which shows the first ever DNA-based evidence of human movement between Egypt and Mesopotamia. The remains reveal signs of hard physical labour, possibly as a potter, though the elaborate burial suggests a higher social status. Extracting ancient DNA from Egypt has long been a challenge due to heat-related degradation of the samples, but new techniques have made this feat possible. This individual's genome opens a new window into Egypt's early history and human migration. Researchers hope future collaborations with Egyptian institutions will expand understanding of ancestry and movement in the ancient world. (Edited by Tony Rai) Also Read: Where no humanoid has gone before: Italian scientists develop world's first flying robot
