Thursday, July 3, 2025
News Health
  • Health News
  • Hair Products
  • Nutrition
    • Weight Loss
  • Sexual Health
  • Skin Care
  • Women’s Health
    • Men’s Health
No Result
View All Result
  • Health News
  • Hair Products
  • Nutrition
    • Weight Loss
  • Sexual Health
  • Skin Care
  • Women’s Health
    • Men’s Health
No Result
View All Result
HealthNews
No Result
View All Result
Home Health News

A11pl3Z: Interstellar visitor spotted hurtling through the solar system

July 2, 2025
in Health News
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


The predicted path of A11pl3Z, making it only the third interstellar object ever seen in the solar system

CSS, D. Rankin

A potential interstellar object has been spotted zipping through our solar system, and amateur and professional astronomers around the world are now racing to train their telescopes in its direction, allowing them to refine models of its trajectory and officially confirm that it is a visitor from another star.

The object – provisionally called A11pl3Z – would be only the third interstellar object we have seen. The asteroid ‘Oumuamua was spotted in October 2017, three days after it made its closest approach to Earth, and was controversial because its unusual acceleration led to suggestions from some quarters – now thoroughly debunked – that it could be an alien spaceship. A second object, comet Borisov, was seen in 2019, and because it was spotted earlier in its journey through the solar system we were able to observe it in more detail.

A11pl3Z was first noticed by the Deep Random Survey in Chile, a group of amateur astronomers, but a review of earlier observations by other groups has revealed it was captured as early as 14 June by NASA’s Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS). It is thought to be around 20 kilometres wide and currently travelling at 66 kilometres per second, but it will accelerate as it is drawn in by the sun’s gravity. It will reach its closest point to the sun in October, passing within two astronomical units – or twice the distance that Earth is from the sun – before swinging away and eventually leaving the solar system.

That will give us limited time to study A11pl3Z, but because it has been seen on its way into the solar system, we will at least have more time than with the other interstellar objects. “They really do whip through the solar system at ridiculous speeds,” says Mark Norris at the University of Central Lancashire in the UK. “They’re really fleeting and you are severely limited in what you can learn about them.”

Unfortunately, the chance of sending a mission to intercept the visitor and study it up close is beyond currently technology, says Norris. “If we launched it today, the thing’s already gone,” he says. In years to come, things could change. The European Space Agency (ESA) is planning to send its Comet Interceptor mission into space in 2029, where it will wait to pounce on newly discovered comets or even an interstellar object.

For now, astronomers will have to rely on existing telescopes to examine A11pl3Z from afar. “It will be observable roughly until the end of the year, so we have plenty of time to fix the trajectory well enough to then train spectrometers on it,” says Richard Moissl at ESA.”Our observers are already trying to find out when is the soonest they can can look at it. Everyone is quite excited about this and and gearing up.”

At the time of publication, more than 100 observations of A11pl3Z had been logged, and the Minor Planet Center – the official body responsible for observing and reporting on such objects – is expected to confirm its interstellar nature later today.

Topics:



Source link : https://www.newscientist.com/article/2486670-interstellar-visitor-spotted-hurtling-through-the-solar-system/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home

Author :

Publish date : 2025-07-02 13:24:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Previous Post

FDA Clears AI-Powered Wearable for Essential Tremor

Next Post

Princess of Wales talks of ‘life-changing’ cancer treatment

Related Posts

Health News

County Durham women fall ill as fake Botox beautician apologises

July 2, 2025
Health News

Certain Autoimmune Skin Diseases Linked to Better Cancer Prognosis

July 2, 2025
Health News

PM says new plan will ‘fundamentally rewire’ the NHS

July 2, 2025
Health News

Defrauding Medicare or Medicaid Could Put Citizenship at Risk, DOJ Says

July 2, 2025
Health News

Linvoseltamab Approved for R/R Multiple Myeloma

July 2, 2025
Health News

CDC Follows Advice of Ousted Vaccine Panel, Expands Access to RSV Shot

July 2, 2025
Load More

County Durham women fall ill as fake Botox beautician apologises

July 2, 2025

Certain Autoimmune Skin Diseases Linked to Better Cancer Prognosis

July 2, 2025

PM says new plan will ‘fundamentally rewire’ the NHS

July 2, 2025

Defrauding Medicare or Medicaid Could Put Citizenship at Risk, DOJ Says

July 2, 2025

Linvoseltamab Approved for R/R Multiple Myeloma

July 2, 2025

CDC Follows Advice of Ousted Vaccine Panel, Expands Access to RSV Shot

July 2, 2025

Pediatricians Fired for Texting Other Docs; Doctor Arrested in Daughter’s Death

July 2, 2025

New Bispecific T-Cell Engager Approved for Multiple Myeloma

July 2, 2025
Load More

Categories

Archives

July 2025
MTWTFSS
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28293031 
« Jun    

© 2022 NewsHealth.

No Result
View All Result
  • Health News
  • Hair Products
  • Nutrition
    • Weight Loss
  • Sexual Health
  • Skin Care
  • Women’s Health
    • Men’s Health

© 2022 NewsHealth.

Go to mobile version