First interstellar comet may be the most pristine ever found
New observations with the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (ESO's VLT) indicate that the rogue comet 2I/Borisov, which is only the second and most recently detected interstellar visitor to our Solar System, is one of the most pris.....»»
To watch a comet form, a spacecraft could tag along for a journey toward the sun
Deep in the solar system, between Jupiter and Neptune, lurk thousands of small chunks of ice and rock. Occasionally, one of them will bump into Jupiter's orbit, get caught and flung into the inner solar system—towards the sun, and us......»»
Is new finding an asteroid or a comet? It"s both
The newest known example of a rare type of object in the Solar System—a comet hidden among the main-belt asteroids—has been found and studied, according to a new paper by Planetary Science Institute Senior Scientist Henry Hsieh......»»
Largest comet ever discovered is heading toward the sun — but no need to panic
The largest comet ever is heading toward the sun - but don't worry, it won't pose any threat to us as it won't come closer than the orbit of Saturn......»»
Vera Rubin Observatory should find five interstellar objects a year, many of which we could chase down with spacecraft
In a year (perhaps two), the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile will become operational and commence its 10-year Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST). Using its 8.4-meter (27 foot) mirror and 3.2 gigapixel camera, this observatory is expected to co.....»»
Study: Planets gone rogue could sustain life
A rogue planet is an interstellar object of planetary mass without a host planetary system. As they freely roam around space, could they be fertile nurseries for life?.....»»
Something big just hit Jupiter
In 1994, the Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 (SL9) impacted Jupiter, which had captured the comet shortly before (and broken apart by its gravity). The event became a media circus as it was the first direct observation of an extraterrestrial collision of Sola.....»»
Why some fish are "junk" and others are protected. Study points to bias against native species
Andrew Rypel grew up fishing on Wisconsin's pristine lakes and rivers. With just a worm on his hook, he caught suckers, gar, sunfish and other native fish he never saw in his game fishing magazines......»»
Cosmic rays erode away all but the largest interstellar objects
So far, we know of only two interstellar objects (ISO) to visit our solar system. They are 'Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov. There's a third possible ISO named CNEOS 2014-01-08, and research suggests there should be many more......»»
Comet ATLAS may have been a blast from the past
It's suspected that about 5,000 years ago a comet may swept within 23 million miles of the Sun, closer than the innermost planet Mercury. The comet might have been a spectacular sight to civilizations across Eurasia and North Africa at the end of the.....»»
Starlight Could Really Be a Vast Alien Quantum Internet, Physicist Proposes
Terry Rudolph, a professor of quantum physics at Imperial College London, suggests that interstellar light could actually be harnessed by space faring aliens to form an encrypted quantum internet. Motherboard reports: This may sound like the stuff of.....»»
The best Samsung Galaxy Note 20 screen protectors
Here are the best Samsung Galaxy Note 20 screen protectors available right now, helping you to keep your big, bold, and beautiful screen in pristine condition......»»
A 23rd-century tourist guide to the galaxy - CNET
By 2200, Mars and Pluto could be on your bucket list. As NASA and Elon Musk make plans to visit the red planet, we've created a list of interplanetary and even interstellar travel adventures......»»
Scientists discover how high-energy electrons strengthen magnetic fields
More than 99% of the visible universe exists in a superheated state known as plasma—an ionized gas of electrons and ions. The motion of these charged particles produces magnetic fields that form an interstellar magnetic web. These magnetic fields a.....»»
Capturing electrons in space
Interstellar clouds are the birthplaces of new stars, but they also play an important role in the origins of life in the Universe through regions of dust and gas in which chemical compounds form. The research group, molecular systems, led by ERC priz.....»»
Tail without a comet: The dusty remains of Comet ATLAS
A serendipitous flythrough of the tail of a disintegrated comet has offered scientists a unique opportunity to study these remarkable structures, in new research presented today at the National Astronomy Meeting 2021......»»
Cosmic rays help supernovae explosions pack a bigger punch
The final stage of cataclysmic explosions of dying massive stars, called supernovae, could pack an up to six times bigger punch on the surrounding interstellar gas with the help of cosmic rays, according to a new study led by researchers at the Unive.....»»
Activity discovered on largest comet ever found
A newly discovered visitor to the outer edges of our solar system has been shown to be the largest known comet ever, thanks to the rapid response telescopes of Las Cumbres Observatory. The object, which is named Comet C/2014 UN271 Bernardinelli-Berns.....»»
NASA Lucy mission"s message to the future
In the 1970s four spacecraft began their one-way trips out of our Solar System. As the first human-built objects to ever venture into interstellar space, NASA chose to place plaques on Pioneer 10 and 11 and golden records on Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraf.....»»
Astronomers map interstellar dust grains in Milky Way
Between the stars in our Milky Way, vast amounts of tiny dust grains are floating aimlessly around. They form the building blocks of new stars and planets. But we still don't know what elements exactly are available to form planets like Earth. A rese.....»»
A small satellite with a solar sail could catch up with an interstellar object
When 'Oumuamua, the first interstellar object ever observed passing through the solar system, was discovered in 2017, it exhibited some unexpected properties that left astronomers scratching their heads. Its elongated shape, lack of a coma, and the f.....»»