A New 'Interstellar Visitor' Has Entered the Solar System (livescience.com) 24
Astronomers have detected a mysterious "interstellar object," dubbed A11pl3Z, speeding through the solar system at 152,000 mph. If confirmed, it would be just the third known interstellar visitor, following 'Oumuamua and Comet Borisov. The visiting space object will pass near Mars and the Sun later this year before leaving the solar system forever. Live Science reports: The newly discovered object, currently dubbed A11pl3Z, was first spotted in data collected between June 25 and June 29 by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), which automatically scans the night sky using telescopes in Hawaii and South Africa. The mystery object was confirmed by both NASA's Center for Near Earth Object Studies and the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center on Tuesday (July 1), according to EarthSky.org.
A11pl3Z is most likely a large asteroid, or maybe a comet, potentially spanning up to 12 miles (20 kilometers). It is traveling toward the inner solar system at around 152,000 mph (245,000 km/h) and is approaching us from the part of the night sky where the bar of the Milky Way is located. Based on A11pl3Z's speed and trajectory, experts think it originated from beyond the sun's gravitational influence and has enough momentum to shoot straight through our cosmic neighborhood without slowing down. However, more observations are needed to tell for sure.
A11pl3Z is most likely a large asteroid, or maybe a comet, potentially spanning up to 12 miles (20 kilometers). It is traveling toward the inner solar system at around 152,000 mph (245,000 km/h) and is approaching us from the part of the night sky where the bar of the Milky Way is located. Based on A11pl3Z's speed and trajectory, experts think it originated from beyond the sun's gravitational influence and has enough momentum to shoot straight through our cosmic neighborhood without slowing down. However, more observations are needed to tell for sure.
OMG! What are the chances...? (Score:2)
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Probably depends on its characteristics.
He had quite an amusing series of papers popping the bubbles of all the 'debunkers'.
He never proved what it was but he sure proved many things that it wasn't, as claimed by ThE eXpErTs.
Midwit scientists abhor an unknown and run to bad ideas like a safety blanket.
FWIW his grad student at the time had the better ideas, involving relative motion of solar systems within the Galactic Plane. His models were the best fit for the available data.
Is there something we can do? (Score:4, Funny)
I don't like it. They leach off our gravity.
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"These freeloader comets need to be deported back to their home star! This is Sparta! I mean Solar System! Other stars are not sending their best comets; these comets have mental, have virus, catastrophe our grammar, flatten dogs and cats, and nobody wants them! If you think the Dino's had it bad! At least Dino's gave us gasoline, God's Liquid Gold [sniff].
They are poisoning the ions and isotopic ratios of our system, damaging our prosperous pro-Solar culture! Eve
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"These freeloader comets need to be deported back to their home star!
No comet is illegal! Make Earth a Sanctuary planet. Life was made possible by comets.
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Can't we just deport it to the Mars and let it leech of that gravity instead! Damn foreigners coming and stealing our valuable fundamental forces!
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Just wait 'til they find out it's actually a capsule carrying an army of borg drones and nanonites to prep sector 001 for assimilation.
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Klaatu barada nikto!
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I highly doubt that.
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That would assume we would be interesting for the Borg.
I highly doubt that.
They get here and see the state of American politics and conclude we are already a hive mind and move on.
Hurry! (Score:2)
ICE must spare no expense capturing this illegal alien and sending it to El Salvador!
Rama (Score:3, Interesting)
Finally the rendezvous with Rama
152000 mph sounds a lot (Score:2)
... but then everything is relative and our solar system is moving at quite a lick. Could it be that we're the ones moving fast past it and this asteroid is more or less just hanging around minding its own business (so to speak)?
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What is the speed of the solar system (relative to the center of the galaxy) ?
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What do you mean? An African or European solar system?
Harvestor (Score:1)
It needs a better name (Score:3)
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I thought it was called 3I/ATLAS or C/2025 N1.
Bypass (Score:1)