Ever since interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS whizzed into our cosmic neighborhood in July, astronomers have been racing to uncover its characteristics. Now that the powerful James Webb Space Telescope has taken a good look at this icy interloper, it seems to be weirder than anyone imagined. A preprint submitted to the Astrophysical Journal Letters for peer […]
New Study Fuels Debate Over World-Changing Comet Strike 12,800 Years Ago
Roughly 12,800 years ago, as Earth was emerging from its last great ice age, temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere suddenly plummeted back to near-glacial conditions. The cause of this abrupt shift—known as the Younger Dryas cool period—remains a mystery to this day, but new evidence may give credence to its most controversial explanation. Researchers analyzed […]
Only the Third Ever Detected Interstellar Object May Be Whizzing Through Our Solar System Right Now
Astronomers are scrambling to gather data on a mysterious object that’s currently hurtling through the solar system. Preliminary observations suggest it came from interstellar space, and if confirmed, it would mark the third discovery of an interstellar object in history. The cosmic visitor—tentatively named A11pl3Z—first appeared in data collected by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert […]
A New Comet Is Streaking Across the Morning Sky. Catch It Before the Sun Does
A recently discovered comet is currently gracing our morning skies, with its signature green glow and long tail trailing behind. Comet SWAN25F is speeding toward the Sun for a dangerously close approach, which might either destroy it or make it visible to the naked eye. In the meantime, the bright comet can be spotted with […]