SpaceX’s satellites will populate the night sky, affecting how we observe the stars. And this is just the beginning of private satellite mega-constellations. Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/will-spacex-starlink-satellites-ruin-stargazing…
Tag: interstellar objects
Vera Rubin Observatory should be able to detect a couple of interstellar objects a month.
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, formerly the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), will commence operations sometime next year. Not wanting to let a perfectly good acronym go to waste, its first campaign will be known as the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST). This 10-year survey will study everything from dark matter and dark energy to the formation of the…
MIT Professor Proposes Fleet of Pre-Positioned Satellites Ready To Orbit Interstellar Comets
Slashdot reader Iwastheone quotes MIT News:
To closely observe an interstellar object (ISO) hurtling through space, time is of the essence. Richard Linares, an assistant professor in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT, developed a concept for a “dynamic orbital slingshot for rendezvous with interstellar objects.” He outlined his idea in a research proposal that was recently selected as a…
Update on 2I/Borisov, the first known interstellar comet
The first known interstellar comet – 21/Borisov – probably came here from a red dwarf star, according to a new study of data from the Hubble Space Telescope. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/comet-21-borisov-comets-red-dwarf-stars-hubble-space-telescope…
Is ‘Oumuamua a fragment of a shattered super-Earth?
Computer simulations confirm that ‘Oumuamua – an object from another star system that sped near our sun in 2017 – likely formed via a close encounter with its star. ‘Oumuamua may have originated in a debris disk, they said, or even a shattered super-Earth. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/new-formation-theory-interstellar-object-oumuamua…
2nd-known interstellar visitor rounds the sun
The 1st interstellar object – 1I/’Oumuamua – had already passed closest to our sun when astronomers first spotted it. So catching this 2nd one – 2I/Borisov – prior to perihelion was a big plus for astronomers! Before and after images here. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/interstellar-comet-2i-borisov-perihelion-images…
Interstellar object closest to the sun today
The fascinating object 2I/Borisov has been steadily brightening as it nears its encounter with our sun. It’ll pass closest to the sun on December 8, 2019, then flee again toward interstellar space. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/2nd-interstellar-object-2i-borisov-closest-to-earth-sun…
Did ancient Earth life escape our solar system?
You’ve heard of panspermia, the idea that life exists throughout space and was carried to Earth by comets? What if the reverse occurred, with microbes on Earth ejected into space by asteroid impacts, escaping into the solar system billions of years ago? Source: https://earthsky.org/space/microbes-from-earth-escape-solar-system-asteroid-impact-panspermia…
Update on the 2nd interstellar visitor
Astronomers in Poland have just published the 1st peer-reviewed paper on the 2nd interstellar visitor, now officially labeled as a comet, 2I/Borisov. Plus check out the new Hubble Space Telescope image of this object. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/2i-borisov-hubble-image-looks-like-a-comet…
Get ready for more interstellar objects, astronomers say
Gregory Laughlin and Malena Rice weren’t exactly surprised a few weeks ago when they learned that a second interstellar object had made its way into our solar system. Source: https://phys.org/news/2019-09-ready-interstellar-astronomers.html…