Tag Archives: interstellar

The discovery of 1I/Oumuamua, 2I/Borisov and 3I/ATLAS showed that significant numbers of interstellar objects populate interstellar space. Their omnipresence means that such objects also reside in protoplanetary disks, which are the reservoir for forming planets. There, interstellar objects could kick start the formation of giant exoplanets by overcoming the 1-m (3.3-foot) barrier present in the standard model of planet formation. …

A new analysis of our solar system’s interstellar interloper, 3I/ATLAS, reveal that it’s spewing huge amounts of water — and astronomers can’t immediately explain why. The object, which is widely believed to be comet, showed strong ultraviolet emissions that are unmistakable telltales of hydroxyl gas (OH), a byproduct of water, when astronomers imaged it with the with NASA’s Neil Gehrels …

A new analysis of our solar system’s interstellar interloper, 3I/ATLAS, reveal that it’s spewing huge amounts of water — and astronomers can’t immediately explain why. The object, which is widely believed to be comet, showed strong ultraviolet emissions that are unmistakable telltales of hydroxyl gas (OH), a byproduct of water, when astronomers imaged it with the with NASA’s Neil Gehrels …

Illustration by Tag Hartman-Simkins / Futurism. Source: Getty Images A new analysis of our solar system’s interstellar interloper, 3I/ATLAS, reveal that it’s spewing huge amounts of water — and astronomers can’t immediately explain why. The object, which is widely believed to be comet, showed strong ultraviolet emissions that are unmistakable telltales of hydroxyl gas (OH), a byproduct of water, when …

Press enter or click to view image in full size The men’s 100-meter dash final at the London 2012 Olympic Games. (Credit: Wikimedia) As the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS passes through our cosmic backyard, bounded by the orbits of Mars and Earth around the Sun during the month of October 2025, the time is ripe to evaluate its gravity. A good …

Comet 3I/ATLAS is the third interstellar visitor and continues to be a treasure trove of information about the condition of its formation. As it speeds through the Solar System, telescopes have been pointed at it, revealing new tidbits about this fascinating space rock. Just recently, we have learned about the unusual ratio of nickel to iron (both common in comets); …

A rocky visitor from beyond our solar system is leaking water like a “fire hose running at full blast,” a new study reports. Using NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, scientists have for the first time detected the chemical fingerprint of water spilling from interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, only the third known object from another star system ever observed passing through our …

Interstellar object 3I/ATLAS is on the opposite side of the sun from Earth – but several spacecraft are in the perfect position to get a closer look. As 3I/ATLAS warps and grows the closer it gets to our solar system’s star, public fascination with the unusual cosmic outsider only seems to become stronger. The object is one of only three space objects originating from …

The interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS began blasting water “like a fire hose” before it was anywhere near the sun, according to a recent study. Researchers observed the comet scattering water unusually early in a discovery that sheds light on how the building blocks of life are distributed across other planetary systems. Initial James Webb Space Telescope observations have suggested that 3I/ATLAS …

A team of astronomers has attempted to track the path of interstellar object 3I/ATLAS back into the past, tracing its path through the galaxy in simulations involving over 13 million stars. On July 1, astronomers spotted an unusual object speeding through the Solar System at nearly twice the velocity of previous interstellar visitors ‘Oumuamua and Comet Borisov. The object was …