Here’s a link for our new SkyGlowProject.com night sky timelapse MOJAVE FORSAKEN, a creepy compilation of southern California ghost towns, released just in time for Halloween!
Video still from Mojave Forsaken, at Bodie State Historic Park in southern California, via SkyGlowProject.
More details available in the Vimeo description, but this was shot by Harun Mehmedinovic [@SkyglowProject on Twitter] and me over two years at the abandoned towns of Bodie, California, Rhyolite, Nevada, and Cerro Gordo, California. At night, due to high elevation, clarity of the skies, and lack of sources of light pollution, these town give us a glimpse of the night sky as it would have been seen by inhabitants of these towns a century ago.
MOJAVE FORSAKEN is part of our ongoing SkyGlowProject.com light pollution awareness campaign that has taken us across the continent to capture North America’s most incredible dark sky locations, in order to help save the skies.
Video still from Mojave Forsaken, at Bodie State Historic Park in southern California, via SkyGlowProject.
We just launched a 15% off discount on all our book / blu ray products for the upcoming holiday season. All proceeds go towards our future videos and journeys! Click here to go to ProjectSkyGlow’s store.
Just use the code SKYGLOW15% at checkout.
Thanks, Gavin!
Video still from Mojave Forsaken, at Bodie State Historic Park in southern California, via SkyGlowProject.
Bottom line: New video MOJAVE FORSAKEN by ProjectSkyGlow.com.
Here’s a link for our new SkyGlowProject.com night sky timelapse MOJAVE FORSAKEN, a creepy compilation of southern California ghost towns, released just in time for Halloween!
Video still from Mojave Forsaken, at Bodie State Historic Park in southern California, via SkyGlowProject.
More details available in the Vimeo description, but this was shot by Harun Mehmedinovic [@SkyglowProject on Twitter] and me over two years at the abandoned towns of Bodie, California, Rhyolite, Nevada, and Cerro Gordo, California. At night, due to high elevation, clarity of the skies, and lack of sources of light pollution, these town give us a glimpse of the night sky as it would have been seen by inhabitants of these towns a century ago.
MOJAVE FORSAKEN is part of our ongoing SkyGlowProject.com light pollution awareness campaign that has taken us across the continent to capture North America’s most incredible dark sky locations, in order to help save the skies.
Video still from Mojave Forsaken, at Bodie State Historic Park in southern California, via SkyGlowProject.
We just launched a 15% off discount on all our book / blu ray products for the upcoming holiday season. All proceeds go towards our future videos and journeys! Click here to go to ProjectSkyGlow’s store.
Just use the code SKYGLOW15% at checkout.
Thanks, Gavin!
Video still from Mojave Forsaken, at Bodie State Historic Park in southern California, via SkyGlowProject.
Bottom line: New video MOJAVE FORSAKEN by ProjectSkyGlow.com.
Constellation Pegasus the Flying Horse by Linda Spadaro.
Linda Spadaro captured this image of the constellation Pegasus, the Flying Horse, on October 15, 2017. She wrote:
I live in the Northern Hemisphere and never really noticed Pegasus before. But traveling to Peru in October, it just dominated the night sky. I was first confused thinking it was the Big Dipper, but after research I knew I was seeing for the first time the magnificent constellation of Pegasus in an upright position to really appreciate its shape and size. I was awed at how easy it was make out the winged horse galloping through the skies … I followed it every night for the 12 nights of my visit.
I inserted lines to show the constellation Pegasus jumping over a beam of light on the ground.
Nikon D750, wide angle lens.
Thank you, Linda!
from EarthSky http://ift.tt/2ye0cpi
Constellation Pegasus the Flying Horse by Linda Spadaro.
Linda Spadaro captured this image of the constellation Pegasus, the Flying Horse, on October 15, 2017. She wrote:
I live in the Northern Hemisphere and never really noticed Pegasus before. But traveling to Peru in October, it just dominated the night sky. I was first confused thinking it was the Big Dipper, but after research I knew I was seeing for the first time the magnificent constellation of Pegasus in an upright position to really appreciate its shape and size. I was awed at how easy it was make out the winged horse galloping through the skies … I followed it every night for the 12 nights of my visit.
I inserted lines to show the constellation Pegasus jumping over a beam of light on the ground.
Tonight – October 30, 2017 – look for the moon, and know that Neptune – the outermost of the major planets in our solar system – is near it. Just don’t expect to see Neptune. Even on the darkest of moonless nights, you need an optical aid to see it. What you can do tonight is use the moon to get a feel for the whereabouts of Neptune in our sky. Plus, you might be able to glimpse the zodiacal constellation Aquarius in the starry heavens.
Neptune lies within Aquarius’ boundaries now, and Aquarius lies to the north of the bright star Fomalhaut, which will be visible tonight – despite the moonlit glare.
The ecliptic – roadway of the sun, moon and planets in our sky – passes right through the constellation Aquarius. Practiced sky gazers know that any planet of our solar system must reside on or near the ecliptic on our sky’s dome.
And right they are, for Neptune will be close to the 4th-magnitude zodiacal star Lambda Aquarii for the rest of this year.
Sky chart showing the star Lambda Aquarii via IAU. Find Lambda Aquarii and then seek for nearby Neptune.
This star, Lambda Aquarii, is visible to the unaided eye as a faint speck of light in a dark country sky. This chart from skyandtelescope.com provides the telescopic field of view and can help you find Neptune … once the moon moves away.
Neptune reigns as the most distant full-fledged planet in the solar system, since Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 2006.
Pluto wasn’t denied planetary status because it’s not massive enough to be a planet. Believe it or not, Pluto – in and of itself – has sufficient mass to qualify. Rather, Pluto was reclassified by the IAU because this world doesn’t have the heft to “clear the neighborhood around its orbit.”
Pluto, by the way, is locked into a 2:3 orbital resonance with Neptune. For every two times that Pluto circles the sun, Neptune circles the sun three times.
Beyond Neptune, there are a number of trans-Neptunian objects – sometimes called plutinos – that are also locked into a 2:3 orbital resonance with Neptune.
Once the moon leaves the evening sky, starting at the end of the first week of November, try locating Neptune in front of the constellation Aquarius, and near the star Lambda Aquarii. Be forewarned. You’ll need an optical aid, and probably a good sky chart plus lots of patience to see this faint and distant planet.
Bottom line: On October 30, 2017, the moon passes close to Neptune on our sky’s dome.
Tonight – October 30, 2017 – look for the moon, and know that Neptune – the outermost of the major planets in our solar system – is near it. Just don’t expect to see Neptune. Even on the darkest of moonless nights, you need an optical aid to see it. What you can do tonight is use the moon to get a feel for the whereabouts of Neptune in our sky. Plus, you might be able to glimpse the zodiacal constellation Aquarius in the starry heavens.
Neptune lies within Aquarius’ boundaries now, and Aquarius lies to the north of the bright star Fomalhaut, which will be visible tonight – despite the moonlit glare.
The ecliptic – roadway of the sun, moon and planets in our sky – passes right through the constellation Aquarius. Practiced sky gazers know that any planet of our solar system must reside on or near the ecliptic on our sky’s dome.
And right they are, for Neptune will be close to the 4th-magnitude zodiacal star Lambda Aquarii for the rest of this year.
Sky chart showing the star Lambda Aquarii via IAU. Find Lambda Aquarii and then seek for nearby Neptune.
This star, Lambda Aquarii, is visible to the unaided eye as a faint speck of light in a dark country sky. This chart from skyandtelescope.com provides the telescopic field of view and can help you find Neptune … once the moon moves away.
Neptune reigns as the most distant full-fledged planet in the solar system, since Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in 2006.
Pluto wasn’t denied planetary status because it’s not massive enough to be a planet. Believe it or not, Pluto – in and of itself – has sufficient mass to qualify. Rather, Pluto was reclassified by the IAU because this world doesn’t have the heft to “clear the neighborhood around its orbit.”
Pluto, by the way, is locked into a 2:3 orbital resonance with Neptune. For every two times that Pluto circles the sun, Neptune circles the sun three times.
Beyond Neptune, there are a number of trans-Neptunian objects – sometimes called plutinos – that are also locked into a 2:3 orbital resonance with Neptune.
Once the moon leaves the evening sky, starting at the end of the first week of November, try locating Neptune in front of the constellation Aquarius, and near the star Lambda Aquarii. Be forewarned. You’ll need an optical aid, and probably a good sky chart plus lots of patience to see this faint and distant planet.
Bottom line: On October 30, 2017, the moon passes close to Neptune on our sky’s dome.
View larger. | This animation shows the path of A/2017 U1, which is an asteroid — or perhaps a comet — as it passed through our inner solar system in September and October 2017. By tracking its motion, scientists have been able to calculate it probably originated from outside of our solar system. Image via NASA/JPL-Caltech.
We think of both comets and asteroids as belonging to our own solar system, our family of planets orbiting the sun, but NASA reported on October 26, 2017 that astronomers have been watching a small body – perhaps an asteroid, perhaps a comet – apparently from beyond our solar system, from somewhere in interstellar space. If so, it would be the first interstellar asteroid (or comet) to be observed and confirmed. The object is currently designated A/2017 U1, and it’s less than a quarter-mile (400 meters) in diameter. NASA said it is moving remarkably fast, some 15.8 miles (25.5 km) per second (similar to Earth’s own speed in orbit around the sun). Astronomers around the world are aiming earthly telescopes, and telescopes in space, in this unusual object’s direction. They’re trying to find out as much as they can about A/2017 U1, perhaps to determine its composition, and hopefully to confirm if indeed it is visiting us from somewhere else in our Milky Way galaxy, before it shoots away again … forever.
The University of Hawaii’s Pan-STARRS 1 telescope spotted A/2017 U1 on October 19, in the course of a nightly search for near-Earth objects. Rob Weryk, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy, was first to notice the object as a starry point, moving in front of the stars. He was the first to submit it to the IAU’s Minor Planet Center, which is the worldwide organization in charge of collecting observational data for minor planets and comets in our solar system.
From the shape of its orbit, it quickly became apparent this object wasn’t an ordinary member of our solar system. NASA said:
Weryk subsequently searched the Pan-STARRS image archive and found it also was in images taken the previous night, but was not initially identified by the moving object processing.
Weryk immediately realized this was an unusual object …
Weryk contacted IfA graduate Marco Micheli, who had the same realization using his own follow-up images taken at the European Space Agency’s telescope on Tenerife in the Canary Islands. But with the combined data, everything made sense … This object came from outside our solar system.
Davide Farnocchia, an astronomer at NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) in Pasadena, California, said:
This is the most extreme orbit I have ever seen. It is going extremely fast and on such a trajectory that we can say with confidence that this object is on its way out of the solar system and not coming back.
A/2017 U1 came from the direction of the constellation Lyra the Harp. NASA explained:
The object approached our solar system from almost directly above the ecliptic, the approximate plane in space where the planets and most asteroids orbit the sun, so it did not have any close encounters with the eight major planets during its plunge toward the sun. On September 2, the small body crossed under the ecliptic plane just inside of Mercury’s orbit and then made its closest approach to the sun on September 9. Pulled by the sun’s gravity, the object made a hairpin turn under our solar system, passing under Earth’s orbit on October 14 at a distance of about 15 million miles (24 million km) — about 60 times the distance to the moon. It has now shot back up above the plane of the planets and, travelling at 27 miles per second (44 km per second) with respect to the sun, the object is speeding toward the constellation Pegasus.
So it exists, it’s moving fast, its orbit indicates an interstellar origin. That’s about all we know for now. However, there’s a context for understanding what this object might be. Karen Meech is an astronomer at the Institute for Astronomy at the University of Hawaii. She specializes in small bodies and their connection to solar system formation. She commented:
We have long suspected that these objects should exist, because during the process of planet formation a lot of material should be ejected from planetary systems. What’s most surprising is that we’ve never seen interstellar objects pass through before.
The designation A/2017 U1 by the Minor Planet Center is temporary. Since this is the first object of its type ever discovered, rules for naming this type of object will likely be established by the International Astronomical Union. But not so fast. Astronomers, always cautious, don’t yet have enough data points along this object’s orbit to confirm it’s from outside our solar system. CNEOS Manager Paul Chodas said:
So far, everything indicates this is likely an interstellar object, but more data would help to confirm it.
Want to know how astronomers identify new asteroids and comets? Watch the video below.
Bottom line: Astronomers have been tracking a small body temporarily designated A/2017 U1. They believe it’s from outside our solar system, and, if so, it’s the first interstellar asteroid (or comet) ever discovered.
View larger. | This animation shows the path of A/2017 U1, which is an asteroid — or perhaps a comet — as it passed through our inner solar system in September and October 2017. By tracking its motion, scientists have been able to calculate it probably originated from outside of our solar system. Image via NASA/JPL-Caltech.
We think of both comets and asteroids as belonging to our own solar system, our family of planets orbiting the sun, but NASA reported on October 26, 2017 that astronomers have been watching a small body – perhaps an asteroid, perhaps a comet – apparently from beyond our solar system, from somewhere in interstellar space. If so, it would be the first interstellar asteroid (or comet) to be observed and confirmed. The object is currently designated A/2017 U1, and it’s less than a quarter-mile (400 meters) in diameter. NASA said it is moving remarkably fast, some 15.8 miles (25.5 km) per second (similar to Earth’s own speed in orbit around the sun). Astronomers around the world are aiming earthly telescopes, and telescopes in space, in this unusual object’s direction. They’re trying to find out as much as they can about A/2017 U1, perhaps to determine its composition, and hopefully to confirm if indeed it is visiting us from somewhere else in our Milky Way galaxy, before it shoots away again … forever.
The University of Hawaii’s Pan-STARRS 1 telescope spotted A/2017 U1 on October 19, in the course of a nightly search for near-Earth objects. Rob Weryk, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy, was first to notice the object as a starry point, moving in front of the stars. He was the first to submit it to the IAU’s Minor Planet Center, which is the worldwide organization in charge of collecting observational data for minor planets and comets in our solar system.
From the shape of its orbit, it quickly became apparent this object wasn’t an ordinary member of our solar system. NASA said:
Weryk subsequently searched the Pan-STARRS image archive and found it also was in images taken the previous night, but was not initially identified by the moving object processing.
Weryk immediately realized this was an unusual object …
Weryk contacted IfA graduate Marco Micheli, who had the same realization using his own follow-up images taken at the European Space Agency’s telescope on Tenerife in the Canary Islands. But with the combined data, everything made sense … This object came from outside our solar system.
Davide Farnocchia, an astronomer at NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) in Pasadena, California, said:
This is the most extreme orbit I have ever seen. It is going extremely fast and on such a trajectory that we can say with confidence that this object is on its way out of the solar system and not coming back.
A/2017 U1 came from the direction of the constellation Lyra the Harp. NASA explained:
The object approached our solar system from almost directly above the ecliptic, the approximate plane in space where the planets and most asteroids orbit the sun, so it did not have any close encounters with the eight major planets during its plunge toward the sun. On September 2, the small body crossed under the ecliptic plane just inside of Mercury’s orbit and then made its closest approach to the sun on September 9. Pulled by the sun’s gravity, the object made a hairpin turn under our solar system, passing under Earth’s orbit on October 14 at a distance of about 15 million miles (24 million km) — about 60 times the distance to the moon. It has now shot back up above the plane of the planets and, travelling at 27 miles per second (44 km per second) with respect to the sun, the object is speeding toward the constellation Pegasus.
So it exists, it’s moving fast, its orbit indicates an interstellar origin. That’s about all we know for now. However, there’s a context for understanding what this object might be. Karen Meech is an astronomer at the Institute for Astronomy at the University of Hawaii. She specializes in small bodies and their connection to solar system formation. She commented:
We have long suspected that these objects should exist, because during the process of planet formation a lot of material should be ejected from planetary systems. What’s most surprising is that we’ve never seen interstellar objects pass through before.
The designation A/2017 U1 by the Minor Planet Center is temporary. Since this is the first object of its type ever discovered, rules for naming this type of object will likely be established by the International Astronomical Union. But not so fast. Astronomers, always cautious, don’t yet have enough data points along this object’s orbit to confirm it’s from outside our solar system. CNEOS Manager Paul Chodas said:
So far, everything indicates this is likely an interstellar object, but more data would help to confirm it.
Want to know how astronomers identify new asteroids and comets? Watch the video below.
Bottom line: Astronomers have been tracking a small body temporarily designated A/2017 U1. They believe it’s from outside our solar system, and, if so, it’s the first interstellar asteroid (or comet) ever discovered.
NASA’s Twins Study preliminary results have revealed that space travel causes an increase in methylation, the process of turning genes on and off, and additional knowledge in how that process works.
NASA’s Twins Study investigates subtle effects and changes that might occur in spaceflight as compared to Earth. This is done by studying two individuals who have the same genetics – identical twin astronauts Scott and Mark Kelly- but are in different environments for one year. Read more about the Twins Study.
Chris Mason of Weill Cornell Medicine is the Twins Study Principal Investigator. Mason said:
Some of the most exciting things that we’ve seen from looking at gene expression in space is that we really see an explosion, like fireworks taking off, as soon as the human body gets into space. With this study, we’ve seen thousands and thousands of genes change how they are turned on and turned off. This happens as soon as an astronaut gets into space, and some of the activity persists temporarily upon return to Earth.
When retired twin astronaut Scott Kelly returned to Earth in March 2016, the Twins Study research intensified with investigators collecting samples from him and his twin brother, retired astronaut Mark Kelly. The researchers began combining the data and reviewing the enormous amount of information looking for correlations. Mason said:
This study represents one of the most comprehensive views of human biology. It really sets the bedrock for understanding molecular risks for space travel as well as ways to potentially protect and fix those genetic changes.
Final results for the Twins Study are expected to be published in 2018.
Bottom line : Twins Study preliminary results suggest space travel causes an increase in methylation, the process of turning genes on and off. New video from NASA.
NASA’s Twins Study preliminary results have revealed that space travel causes an increase in methylation, the process of turning genes on and off, and additional knowledge in how that process works.
NASA’s Twins Study investigates subtle effects and changes that might occur in spaceflight as compared to Earth. This is done by studying two individuals who have the same genetics – identical twin astronauts Scott and Mark Kelly- but are in different environments for one year. Read more about the Twins Study.
Chris Mason of Weill Cornell Medicine is the Twins Study Principal Investigator. Mason said:
Some of the most exciting things that we’ve seen from looking at gene expression in space is that we really see an explosion, like fireworks taking off, as soon as the human body gets into space. With this study, we’ve seen thousands and thousands of genes change how they are turned on and turned off. This happens as soon as an astronaut gets into space, and some of the activity persists temporarily upon return to Earth.
When retired twin astronaut Scott Kelly returned to Earth in March 2016, the Twins Study research intensified with investigators collecting samples from him and his twin brother, retired astronaut Mark Kelly. The researchers began combining the data and reviewing the enormous amount of information looking for correlations. Mason said:
This study represents one of the most comprehensive views of human biology. It really sets the bedrock for understanding molecular risks for space travel as well as ways to potentially protect and fix those genetic changes.
Final results for the Twins Study are expected to be published in 2018.
Bottom line : Twins Study preliminary results suggest space travel causes an increase in methylation, the process of turning genes on and off. New video from NASA.
Tonight – just in time for the upcoming season of Halloween and the Day of the Dead – look for the Demon Star in the constellation Perseus the Hero.
That star is Beta Persei, or Algol, pronounced AL-gul. The name Algol comes from an Arabic term for head of the ghoul or head of the demon. This chart showed you how to use the constellation Cassiopeia to locate Perseus in the northeast in the evening sky. The brightest star in Perseus is Alpha Persei, whose proper name is Mirfak.
If you can find Perseus and Mirfak, you can find Algol, too!
Algol is a very interesting star. It’s known to vary in brightness in a way that’s extremely regular. The cycle lasts exactly 2 days, 20 hours and 49 minutes. For a few hours during the cycle, Algol’s brightness falls far below normal, then returns to normal. All the while, the star remains visible to the eye.
Algol’s brightness variation is not due to some special quality of a single star. Instead, this is a multiple star system, where one star regularly passes in front of another as seen from our earthly perspective.
Thus Algol is what’s called an eclipsing variable star.
Thousands of these stars are known, but Algol is perhaps the most famous of this class because its periodic dip in brightness can be seen with the eye alone, and because the cycle is relatively short.
The ancient stargazers had no knowledge of multiple star systems, but possibly they did notice this star’s brightness change. Perhaps the brightness change is why, throughout parts of the ancient world, the star Algol was associated with demons or monsters. The Greeks and Romans identified the star with the Head of Medusa, a fearful monster with snakes in place of hair. The star has also been called the Ghoul Star.
High northern latitudes see Perseus by nightfall or early evening. Observers farther south may have to wait till mid-evening to catch Perseus and the Demon Star, aka Algol, in the northeastern sky.
Bottom line: The best-known star in the constellation Perseus is Algol, its name coming from the Arabic for head of the demon.
Tonight – just in time for the upcoming season of Halloween and the Day of the Dead – look for the Demon Star in the constellation Perseus the Hero.
That star is Beta Persei, or Algol, pronounced AL-gul. The name Algol comes from an Arabic term for head of the ghoul or head of the demon. This chart showed you how to use the constellation Cassiopeia to locate Perseus in the northeast in the evening sky. The brightest star in Perseus is Alpha Persei, whose proper name is Mirfak.
If you can find Perseus and Mirfak, you can find Algol, too!
Algol is a very interesting star. It’s known to vary in brightness in a way that’s extremely regular. The cycle lasts exactly 2 days, 20 hours and 49 minutes. For a few hours during the cycle, Algol’s brightness falls far below normal, then returns to normal. All the while, the star remains visible to the eye.
Algol’s brightness variation is not due to some special quality of a single star. Instead, this is a multiple star system, where one star regularly passes in front of another as seen from our earthly perspective.
Thus Algol is what’s called an eclipsing variable star.
Thousands of these stars are known, but Algol is perhaps the most famous of this class because its periodic dip in brightness can be seen with the eye alone, and because the cycle is relatively short.
The ancient stargazers had no knowledge of multiple star systems, but possibly they did notice this star’s brightness change. Perhaps the brightness change is why, throughout parts of the ancient world, the star Algol was associated with demons or monsters. The Greeks and Romans identified the star with the Head of Medusa, a fearful monster with snakes in place of hair. The star has also been called the Ghoul Star.
High northern latitudes see Perseus by nightfall or early evening. Observers farther south may have to wait till mid-evening to catch Perseus and the Demon Star, aka Algol, in the northeastern sky.
Bottom line: The best-known star in the constellation Perseus is Algol, its name coming from the Arabic for head of the demon.
Astronomers at the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy (IfA) have spotted what is believed to be the first object – an asteroid or comet – that originates outside of our solar system. Observations of the object, dubbed A/2017 U1, were also made by ESA’s Near-Earth Object (NEO) team working at the Agency’s NEO Coord Centre at ESA/ESRIN, near Rome.
This animation shows the path of A/2017 U1, which is an asteroid – or perhaps a comet – as it passed through our inner solar system in September and October 2017. From analysis of its motion, scientists calculate that it probably originated from outside of our solar system.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech
The follow-up observations were made by ESA astronomer Marco Micheli, himself a graduate from the Institute for Astronomy, using a telescope at ESA’s Optical Ground Station on Tenerife, Canary Islands.
“This was certainly an unexpected find and, if confirmed, it may be the first sighting of an asteroid or other object passing through our Solar System that originated from elsewhere in our galaxy,” says Marco.
There’s an excellent initial report now live in the NASA/JPL website.
A small, recently discovered asteroid – or perhaps a comet – appears to have originated from outside the solar system, coming from somewhere else in our galaxy. If so, it would be the first “interstellar object” to be observed and confirmed by astronomers.
This unusual object – for now designated A/2017 U1 – is less than a quarter-mile (400 meters) in diameter and is moving remarkably fast. Astronomers are urgently working to point telescopes around the world and in space at this notable object. Once these data are obtained and analyzed, astronomers may know more about the origin and possibly composition of the object.
A/2017 U1 was discovered Oct. 19 by the University of Hawaii’s Pan-STARRS 1 telescope on Haleakala, Hawaii, during the course of its nightly search for near-Earth objects for NASA. Rob Weryk, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy (IfA), was first to identify the moving object and submit it to the Minor Planet Center. Weryk subsequently searched the Pan-STARRS image archive and found it also was in images taken the previous night, but was not initially identified by the moving object processing.
ESA’s Optical Ground Station, Tenerife. Credit: ESA
Weryk immediately realized this was an unusual object. “Its motion could not be explained using either a normal solar system asteroid or comet orbit,” he said. Weryk contacted IfA graduate Marco Micheli, who had the same realization using his own follow-up images taken at the European Space Agency’s telescope on Tenerife in the Canary Islands. But with the combined data, everything made sense. Said Weryk, “This object came from outside our solar system.”
Astronomers at the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy (IfA) have spotted what is believed to be the first object – an asteroid or comet – that originates outside of our solar system. Observations of the object, dubbed A/2017 U1, were also made by ESA’s Near-Earth Object (NEO) team working at the Agency’s NEO Coord Centre at ESA/ESRIN, near Rome.
This animation shows the path of A/2017 U1, which is an asteroid – or perhaps a comet – as it passed through our inner solar system in September and October 2017. From analysis of its motion, scientists calculate that it probably originated from outside of our solar system.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech
The follow-up observations were made by ESA astronomer Marco Micheli, himself a graduate from the Institute for Astronomy, using a telescope at ESA’s Optical Ground Station on Tenerife, Canary Islands.
“This was certainly an unexpected find and, if confirmed, it may be the first sighting of an asteroid or other object passing through our Solar System that originated from elsewhere in our galaxy,” says Marco.
There’s an excellent initial report now live in the NASA/JPL website.
A small, recently discovered asteroid – or perhaps a comet – appears to have originated from outside the solar system, coming from somewhere else in our galaxy. If so, it would be the first “interstellar object” to be observed and confirmed by astronomers.
This unusual object – for now designated A/2017 U1 – is less than a quarter-mile (400 meters) in diameter and is moving remarkably fast. Astronomers are urgently working to point telescopes around the world and in space at this notable object. Once these data are obtained and analyzed, astronomers may know more about the origin and possibly composition of the object.
A/2017 U1 was discovered Oct. 19 by the University of Hawaii’s Pan-STARRS 1 telescope on Haleakala, Hawaii, during the course of its nightly search for near-Earth objects for NASA. Rob Weryk, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy (IfA), was first to identify the moving object and submit it to the Minor Planet Center. Weryk subsequently searched the Pan-STARRS image archive and found it also was in images taken the previous night, but was not initially identified by the moving object processing.
ESA’s Optical Ground Station, Tenerife. Credit: ESA
Weryk immediately realized this was an unusual object. “Its motion could not be explained using either a normal solar system asteroid or comet orbit,” he said. Weryk contacted IfA graduate Marco Micheli, who had the same realization using his own follow-up images taken at the European Space Agency’s telescope on Tenerife in the Canary Islands. But with the combined data, everything made sense. Said Weryk, “This object came from outside our solar system.”
