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.....»»
Astronomers Thrill at Giant Comet Flying into Our Solar System
The huge object may be the biggest comet ever seen. And it is already showing signs of activity as it approaches the orbit of Saturn -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.....»»
Abnormally high alcohol and mystery heat source detected on comet wirtanen
Comet 46P/Wirtanen was releasing an unusual amount of alcohol as it made its historic flyby of Earth two and a half years ago. That's one of the findings from the latest published study comet detectives conducted after observing 46P/Wirtanen with W......»»
Giant comet found in outer solar system by Dark Energy Survey
A giant comet from the outskirts of our solar system has been discovered in six years of data from the Dark Energy Survey. Comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein is estimated to be about 1000 times more massive than a typical comet, making it arguably the lar.....»»
Largest comet ever discovered is 1,000 times the typical mass
Comets are typically are 6 miles across, but scientists have recently discovered a mega comet which is 10 times that diameter......»»
Aliens Wouldn"t Need Warp Drives to Take Over an Entire Galaxy, Simulation Suggests
A new computer simulation shows that a technologically advanced civilization, even when using slow ships, can still colonize an entire galaxy in a modest amount of time. The finding presents a possible model for interstellar migration and a sharpened.....»»
Astronomers calculate genesis of Oort cloud in chronological order
A team of Leiden astronomers has managed to calculate the first 100 million years of the history of the Oort cloud in its entirety. Until now, only parts of the history had been studied separately. The cloud, with roughly 100 billion comet-like objec.....»»
Creating exotic "outer space" ice in the lab
The search for life beyond Earth typically focuses on first looking for water, the basis for life as we know it. Whether the water is a gas, liquid, or solid, its presence and composition can tell researchers a lot about the planet, moon, comet, or a.....»»
Turbulence in interstellar gas clouds reveals multi-fractal structures
In interstellar dust clouds, turbulence must first dissipate before a star can form through gravity. A German-French research team has now discovered that the kinetic energy of the turbulence comes to rest in a space that is very small on cosmic scal.....»»
Study reveals diverse magnetic fields in solar-type star forming cores
Magnetic fields are ubiquitous throughout the Milky Way galaxy and play a crucial role in all dynamics of interstellar medium. However, questions like how solar-type stars form out of magnetized molecular clouds, whether the role of magnetic fields c.....»»
Unexpected Gaseous Nickel Spewing From Second Known Interstellar Object
New submitter StellarThoughts writes: Scientists analyzed the second ever known interstellar object, a comet known as 2I/Borisov, and found some very unlikely results. Molecules of nickel and iron were being vaporized and drifting from the surface. T.....»»
Improvements Finally Made in How We Name Asteroids
RockDoctor (Slashdot reader #15,477) writes: For a number of years the administrative process for giving asteroids names has had a worsening logjam. Important or "interesting" bodies (such as `Oumuamua, the first definitely interstellar object ident.....»»
Beyond our solar system, Voyager 1 picks up the hum of interstellar gas
The two most distant man-made objects in the universe are the Voyager probes, launched in the 1970s. Now, Voyager 1 has found a hum of interstellar gas......»»
Astronomers Search For Answers To Origins of Interstellar Visitors Like "Oumuamua
"Getting to another extrasolar planet is never going to happen in my lifetime, or that of Western civilisation," says Alan Jackson, an astronomer and planetary scientist at Arizona State University. "But we can have nature deliver pieces of them to u.....»»
Antarctic Study Shows How Much Space Dust Hits Earth Every Year
A tally of pristine micrometeorites locked in polar ice gives the best-yet look at the origin and amount of extraterrestrial material reaching our planet -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.....»»
Spacecraft magnetic valve used to fill drinks
A precision magnetic valve originally designed to help steer a lander down to a comet has found a surprise terrestrial use through ESA's Technology Transfer and Patent Office: adding flavors to beverages within a few thousandths of a second per each.....»»
Probing deep space with Interstellar
When the four-decades-old Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecraft entered interstellar space in 2012 and 2018, respectively, scientists celebrated. These plucky spacecraft had already traveled 120 times the distance from the Earth to the sun to reach the.....»»
The effects of solar flares on Earth"s magnetosphere
Planet Earth is surrounded by a system of magnetic fields known as the magnetosphere. This vast, comet-shaped system deflects charged particles coming from the sun, shielding our planet from harmful particle radiation and preventing solar wind (i.e.,.....»»
Catch comet R4 ATLAS as it nears Earth
Looking to do some springtime astronomy? With temperatures warming up in the northern hemisphere in April through May, galaxy season is upon us. At dusk, the area in the Bowl of Virgo asterism rising in the east is rife with clusters of galaxies that.....»»
When stars get too close to each other, they cast out interstellar comets and asteroids
In October 2017, humanity caught its first-ever glimpse of an interstellar object—a visitor from beyond our solar system—passing nearby the sun. We named it "Oumuamua, and its unusual properties fascinated and confounded astronomers. Less than tw.....»»
MLOps startup Comet raises $13M to launch model monitoring products
Comet, an MLOps startup developing tools to help companies monitor AI models, has raised $13 million in venture capital. Comet, an MLOps startup developing tools to help companies monitor AI models, has raised $13 million in venture capital.Read.....»»