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Scientific American
10 hours ago
- Science
- Scientific American
New Interstellar Object Stuns Scientists as It Zooms through Solar System
Late in the evening on July 1, a telescope in Chile that is part of the global, NASA-funded Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) picked up on a new moving dot in the sky, an object moving past the orbit of Jupiter. When Larry Denneau, software engineer at ATLAS, alerted the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center to the observation, 'it looked like a completely routine discovery.' That would soon change. To his surprise, the object—provisionally named A11pI3Z—turned out to be the third interstellar visitor known to science. Now, mere days after its discovery, frenzied follow-up work by astronomers around the world to further scrutinize A11pI3Z and look for additional apparitions in archival observations has given the object a new, more official name: Comet 3I/Atlas, for the telescope that first discovered it. What seems to have been the clinching evidence for its interstellar nature emerged from the efforts of a group of amateur astronomers, called the Deep Random Survey, who were first to track the object down in images other ATLAS telescopes had captured in late June. 'We had quite a bit of confusion from the get-go,' says Sam Deen, a member of the group. 'Our systems are usually tuned to expect that a new discovery is an object firmly stuck inside the solar system,' but Atlas was playing outside of those rules. The earlier observations—which soon also included 'pre-discovery' sightings from the Zwicky Transient Facility at Palomar Observatory in San Diego, California as well as other telescopes—allowed a more precise calculation of the object's trajectory. Whatever it was, the object was zooming down toward the inner solar system at almost 70 kilometers per second. On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. That's 'far faster than any solar system object should be able to move,' Deen notes, because such speeds ensure objects will slip through the sun's gravitational grasp. Anything moving so quickly simply can't hang around long; rather than following a typical parabolic orbit, 3I/Atlas's blistering speed is carving out a hyperbolic orbit, a path that takes the object swooping through the inner solar system before soaring back out into the interstellar void. It most likely came from the outskirts of some other planetary system, ejected from its tenuous twirling around some alien sun by gravitational interactions with a giant planet or another passing star. Exactly where it came from and when it began its galactic journey, however, no one can say. There is no threat to Earth, as during its brief sojourn in the solar system 3I/Atlas is projected to come no nearer than about 240 million kilometers to our planet. The object will make its closest approach to the sun on October 30, reaching a distance of about 210 million kilometers, just within the orbit of Mars. As it approaches in coming months, astronomers will intensify their studies, hoping to learn more about this mysterious visitor. What's already relatively clear, however, is 3I/Atlas's cometary nature; more than 100 observations have now trickled in from telescopes around the globe, including some that show hints the object is enveloped in a cloud of gas and dust and trailing a tail of debris as ices on its surface warm in the sun's radiance. Astronomers normally use a distant object's brightness as a proxy for its size, with brighter objects tending to be bigger as well. But a comet's ejected material is usually bright, too, interfering with such crude estimates. Consequently, 'right now we really don't know how big it is; it could be anywhere from 5 to 50 kilometers in diameter,' Denneau says. Closer looks with more powerful observatories, including the keen-eyed infrared James Webb Space Telescope, should soon help clarify its dimensions and also its composition. 'I am interested in whether the comet looks like objects from our own solar system,' Denneau says. 'The answer is interesting either way. If it has the same composition as a normal comet, it means that other solar systems may be built similarly to ours. If it's completely different, then we might wonder why that is.' The first interstellar object observed, 1I/' Oumuamua, appeared on the scene in 2017 and perplexed researchers with its oddly elongated shape and a bizarrely accelerating trajectory. Those strange features led some researchers to propose an idea— now convincingly debunked —that 'Oumuamua was a derelict alien spacecraft adrift in the Milky Way. Then in 2019 came the second observed interstellar object, 2I/Borisov, which bore all the hallmarks of a run-of-the-mill comet and thus inspired few if any outlandish claims of alien involvement. '[ATLAS] will be a tiebreaker of sorts,' says Mario Juric, an astronomer at the University of Washington and discovery software lead at the recently completed Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile. '[Will it] give us a sense 'Oumuamua was the odd one out, or is the universe a lot more interesting than we imagined?' Rubin— a unique telescope with a panoramic view that will survey the entire overhead sky every few days—is seen as especially critical for solving the lingering mysteries of these first emissaries from interstellar space. As the observatory's survey progresses in months and years to come, it should uncover many more visitors from the great beyond, allowing astronomers to begin studying them as a population rather than scattered, isolated one-offs. Ultimately, if Rubin or another facility manages to spot an interstellar object fortuitously poised to pass relatively close to Earth, astronomers might even be able to gain an extremely close-up view via a spacecraft rendezvous. The European Space Agency (ESA) already has such a mission in the works, in fact—Comet Interceptor, a sentinel spacecraft set to launch as early as 2029 to await some inbound destination. 'There is a small chance that Comet Interceptor might be able to visit an interstellar object if one is found on the right trajectory, and the new Vera C. Rubin observatory should give us an increased rate of discovery of these objects,' says Colin Snodgrass, an astronomer at the University of Edinburgh who is part of the ESA mission. All of which has astronomers on the edges of their seats, eager to dive deeper into a new frontier in our cosmic understanding. 'This is probably the most excited I've been about any astronomical discovery in years,' Deen says.
Extra.ie
13 hours ago
- Science
- Extra.ie
Mystery surrounding new ‘interstellar' object zooming through our solar system
A mysterious object from outside our solar system has been spotted by astronomers — and is heading our way. The discovery was made by astronomer Sam Deen back in June, with the object becoming known as A11pl3Z. While astronomers and physicists are not sure what exactly the object is, it's been reported that it's 12 miles wide. Today's top videos STORY CONTINUES BELOW Harvard physicist Avi Loeb said that the object is expected to fly by Earth around December 17, at more than 41 miles per second (150,000mph). 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. July 2, 2025 For those who may be thinking that this object will finally be what wipes out humanity, fear not — as the speed at which the object will fly by Earth means that it will be moving too fast to get caught in the solar system's gravitational pull. While on its current trajectory, the object is expected to come only within 2.4 astronomical units of Earth (and while that sounds close, it's actually 223million miles), but the size of the object is what's raising eyebrows. The object is far bigger than the last two otherworldly comets that flew past Earth — Oumuamua, which was approximately 300 to 1,300 feet long, and the Borisov comet, which was around half a mile (approx 800 metres) in diameter. The comet seen via telescope. Pic: Filipp Romanov Despite the mystery surrounding what it is, some scientists have speculated that it's man made and sent from another solar system that may have intelligent life — something that was echoed after Oumuamua flew past Earth in 2017, and wasn't a known comet. 'It was inferred to have a disk-like shape and to exhibit non-gravitational acceleration, raising the possibility of an artificial origin,' Mr Loeb wrote in an article earlier this week. 'The second reported interstellar object, Borisov, appeared like a familiar natural comet.' Despite the alarming size of A11pl3Z at this time, Mr Loeb adds that it may be smaller; and have a small core that's surrounded by a bright cloud of gas and dust, reflecting sunlight that would make the mass appear larger.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Science
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Scientists baffled by 'interstellar object' spotted hurtling towards our solar system
A mysterious object from outside our solar system has just been spotted by astronomers heading towards our planet. Harvard physicist Avi Loeb revealed that the object is expected to pass by Earth on December 17, speeding through the solar system at more than 41 miles per second (roughly 150,000 miles per hour). That means the unidentified object, which scientists are calling A11pl3Z, is moving too fast for it to get caught in the gravitational pull of our sun or any other planet. A11pl3Z's unusual course and speed was first spotted by astronomer Sam Deen in late June, however, it has just been flagged by the International Astronomical Union after its interstellar origins were confirmed. Loeb believes A11pl3Z could be a large space rock or a comet, but astronomers are still figuring that out. It's estimated to be about 12 miles wide. That makes it much larger than the last two otherworldly objects that flew through our solar system, Oumuamua and the comet Borisov. Oumuamua was only about 300 to 1,300 feet long and Borisov's core was about half a mile in diameter. Like Oumuamua in 2017, A11pl3Z could soon start stirring more speculation that the object is man-made and sent here from another solar system with intelligent life. In 2021, Loeb, the Frank B. Baird Jr. Professor of Science at Harvard, theorized that Oumuamua could have 'been meant to scan signals from all viewing directions,' looking for sensors from a long-lost receiver previously placed on Earth. The first recorded interstellar object set off alarm bells among UFO researchers after scientists discovered Oumuamua was not a known comet or asteroid. 'It was inferred to have a disk-like shape and to exhibit non-gravitational acceleration, raising the possibility of an artificial origin,' Loeb wrote in an article on Medium Wednesday. If A11pl3Z is a space rock, it's surprisingly massive compared to the other two interstellar objects that have passed by Earth. However, 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, A11pl3Z is already in the solar system, and is currently 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 don't believe A11pl3Z poses any threat to Earth. At 12 miles in length, that's good news because the object would fall into the category of a 'planet killer' - likely causing an extinction-level event if it struck the Earth. 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 However, there is a chance that A11pl3Z is not as big as it currently appears. Loeb explained that the interstellar visitor could be a comet, just like Borisov in 2019. The physicist said that it could have a smaller core surrounded by a bright cloud of gas and dust. This would reflect sunlight and make the mass appear larger to our telescopes. A11pl3Z's extreme speed will only give astronomers a short window to study the mysterious object before it leaves the solar system in 2026. In that time, 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 A11pl3Z is staying on its expected route, passing the sun in later October, swinging by Earth at a safe distance in December, and then flying past Jupiter in March 2026. Once it gets closer, scientist should be able to determine what A11pl3Z actually is - an asteroid, a comet, or something else entirely. Mark Norris at the University of Central Lancashire told New Scientist: 'They really do whip through the solar system at ridiculous speeds. They're really fleeting and you are severely limited in what you can learn about them.'
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Business Standard
2 days ago
- 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.
