Latest news with #Maunakea
Gizmodo
4 days ago
- Science
- Gizmodo
Our Best View Yet of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS
A comet unlike any seen before has fixated astronomers around the world. An observatory in Hawaii has unveiled the most stunning image of this ancient interstellar visitor yet. The Gemini North telescope on Maunakea, Hawaii, recently snapped a close-up of 3I/ATLAS, the third interstellar object ever discovered. The telescope's highly sensitive Multi-Object Spectrograph captured the comet's compact coma—a cloud of gas and dust surrounding its icy nucleus—in striking detail. 3I/ATLAS is inbound to the inner solar system, and as it approaches the Sun and heats up, its coma will expand and make the comet appear brighter. Observing this uptick in activity, known as cometary outgassing, will allow astronomers to gain more insight into the composition of 3I/ATLAS. Understanding what this interstellar comet is made of will offer a glimpse of the conditions and processes that shaped the distant star system from which it came. 'The sensitivity and scheduling agility of the International Gemini Observatory has provided critical early characterization of this interstellar wanderer,' Martin Still, NSF program director for the International Gemini Observatory, said in a statement. 'We look forward to a bounty of new data and insights as this object warms itself on sunlight before continuing its cold, dark journey between the stars.' The International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center confirmed that this comet came from outside our solar system on July 2. Since then, astronomers have been racing to gather as much data on it as possible. Preliminary findings suggest 3I/ATLAS is the oldest comet ever found, roughly 2 billion years older than our solar system. What's more, it appears to have come from an underexplored region of the Milky Way's galactic disk. This is the disk-like component of our galaxy containing stars, gas, and dust that rotates in a circular coplanar motion around the center of the galaxy. Based on its trajectory, 3I/ATLAS likely came from the thick part of the disk, which contains roughly 10% of the stellar mass of the Milky Way. Stars located in the thick disk are generally much older than those located in the galaxy's thin disk. This comet is older, larger, and faster than the two interstellar objects that came before it: 'Oumuamua and Comet 2I/Borisov. One recent study, which has yet to undergo peer review, found that 3I/ATLAS has a hyperbolic velocity of about 37 miles per second (60 kilometers per second). That's roughly twice the speed of both 'Oumuamua and Borisov. The researchers also estimated the newly discovered comet to be up to 6 miles (10 kilometers) wide, which would make it 100 times wider than 'Oumuamua and 10 times wider than Borisov. If 3I/ATLAS truly is that big, this would imply that galaxies are far more efficient at making these kinds of objects than scientists thought. The study authors note, however, that estimations of this comet's size will likely shrink as astronomers gather more observations. The Gemini Observatory and many others across the globe will continue using a wide variety of telescopes to observe 3I/ATLAS as it rockets toward the Sun. The comet should make its closest approach to our home star on October 29 and its closest approach to Earth on October 30. It will keep a safe distance from our planet, but the flyby will still allow astronomers to gather more detailed observations of this comet before it leaves our solar system for good. Such studies could begin to unravel the many mysteries of 3I/ATLAS, as its characteristics remain largely unknown. Still, it's already becoming clear that this interstellar comet is totally different from any we've seen before, offering brand new insights into galactic processes beyond our solar system.
Forbes
6 days ago
- Science
- Forbes
In Photos: 12-Mile-Wide Alien Comet Captured Over Hawaii
Comet 3I/ATLAS is captured in this image by the Gemini North telescope. The incredible sensitivity ... More of Gemini North's Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS-N) reveals the comet's compact coma — a cloud of gas and dust surrounding its icy nucleus. An object believed to be both from another star system and the oldest comet ever observed has been imaged by a massive telescope on a volcano in Hawaii. The Gemini North telescope on Maunakea, Hawaii, captured a detailed image of the ancient comet — called both 3I/ATLAS and C/2025 N1 (ATLAS) — as astronomers rush to study a celestial body formed in a distant star system. What The New Images Of 3I/ATLAS / C/2025 N1 (ATLAS) Show Its observations suggest that the object has a tail and a nucleus, confirming that it's a comet. Gemini North's Multi-Object Spectrograph also reveals the comet's compact coma — a cloud of gas and dust surrounding its icy nucleus. 'The sensitivity and scheduling agility of the International Gemini Observatory has provided critical early characterization of this interstellar wanderer,' said Martin Still, NSF program director for the International Gemini Observatory. 'We look forward to a bounty of new data and insights as this object warms itself on sunlight before continuing its cold, dark journey between the stars.' Comet 3I/ATLAS streaks across a dense star field in this image captured by the Gemini North ... More telescope's Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS-N). The left panel captures the comet's colorful trail as it moves through the Solar System. The image was composed of exposures taken through three filters, shown here as red, green, and blue. See a close-up image of the comet here. Why 3I/ATLAS / C/2025 N1 (ATLAS) Is So Special What makes this object stand out from every other object astronomers can see in the solar system is its trajectory, size, and speed. 3I/ATLAS's eccentric trajectory suggests that it's from outside the solar system, while preliminary data indicate that it's around 12 miles (20 kilometers) in diameter. That's much larger than the two previous interstellar objects, 'Oumuamua in 2017 and comet 2I/Borisov in 2019. It is moving at an exceptionally high speed, traveling at almost 25,000 kilometers (15,500 miles) per hour. How Big Is 3I/ATLAS / C/2025 N1 (ATLAS)? The third interstellar object ever to be found after 'Oumuamua in 2017 and a comet called 2I/Borisov in 2019, 3I/ATLAS could be three billion years older than the solar system — the oldest comet ever seen. By comparison, ʻOumuamua measured roughly 200 meters, and Borisov less than a kilometer. It may be the oldest comet ever observed, at approximately three billion years older than the solar system (which is 4.6 billion years old) and possibly as old as 14 billion years. However, its exact age remains unknown. This animation shows the observations of comet 3I/ATLAS when it was discovered on July 1, 2025. The ... More NASA-funded ATLAS survey telescope in Chile first reported that the comet originated from interstellar space. Where Is 3I/ATLAS / C/2025 N1 (ATLAS)? The third known interstellar object to visit our solar system, the object was first detected on July 1 by the El Sauce Observatory in Chile, part of the global Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System. It's currently within Jupiter's orbit at a distance of about 465 million kilometers (290 million miles) from Earth and 600 million kilometers (370 million miles) from the sun. What Will Happen To 3I/ATLAS / C/2025 N1 (ATLAS)? It will come closest to the sun on Oct. 30 at a distance of 210 million kilometers (130 million miles) and 270 million kilometers (170 million miles) from Earth on Dec. 19. However, at no point will it threaten Earth or be visible to the naked eye. The new Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile — which unveiled its first images last month and has a unique view of the night sky supported by the world's largest camera — is expected to find about 50 more interstellar objects like 3I/ATLAS / C/2025 N1 (ATLAS). Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
