Quote:New interstellar object visiting our solar system

There’s a new object in the solar system headed toward the sun, and it may have come from interstellar space. We only know of two other interstellar objects that have entered into our solar system before, ‘Oumuamua and Comet 2I/Borisov. The nature of ‘Oumuamua is still a matter of debate, and the second was a comet from another solar system. And now we may have a third interstellar visitor. Currently named A11pl3Z, this object has a trajectory that suggests it didn’t originate inside our own solar system.

The International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center added the object to their Near-Earth Object confirmation list on July 1, 2025. The object is also on NASA/JPL’s website for Near-Earth Object Confirmation Page under A11pl3Z. Despite being listed as a near-Earth object, there is no fear of it hitting Earth or even coming particularly close.
So what is the new visitor? Well, it’s likely either a comet or an asteroid, but it’s too soon (and too far away) at this point to say with any certainty.

Quote:Observations of the visitor

Astrafoxen, an astrophysics undergrad student in California on Bluesky, has shared an image of A11pl3Z from the Deep Random Survey in Chile. Additionally, Sam Deen, a prolific amateur astronomer, found earlier images of the object in ATLAS data from June 25 to 29. These data points help show the track of the object, indicating that it is almost certainly interstellar.
The dim space rock is currently at about magnitude 18.8. Our new visitor, A11pl3Z, will get its closest to the sun – at about 2 astronomical units (AU), or twice as far as Earth is from the sun – in October. As it reaches perihelion – its closest point to the sun – it should be moving at about 68 km/s relative to the sun, or at about 152,000 miles per hour.
Marshall Eubanks, a physicist and VLBI radio astronomer and co-founder of Space Initiatives, said on the Minor Planet Mailing List that the object could be as large as 12 miles (20 km) in diameter. It will also come within about 0.4 AU of Mars in October, which would make it just barely observable by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. With the current orbital data, Eubanks said:

Quote:This object appears to be coming from the thin galactic disk.

Quote:The International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center added the object to their Near-Earth Object confirmation list on July 1, 2025.

(07-02-2025, 07:37 PM)gortex Wrote:

Quote:The International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center added the object to their Near-Earth Object confirmation list on July 1, 2025.

Just in time for World UFO Day , today !

Happy World UFO Day ! , I for one welcome our Alien overlords.

(07-03-2025, 04:52 AM)EndtheMadnessNow Wrote: July 2, 1996: Aliens positioned their ships at major cities around the world.

Happy World UFO day! 

Quote:An extrapolation of A11pl3Z’s orbit implies that its closest distance to Earth would be 2.4 times the Earth-Sun separation (=astronomical unit, abbreviated as AU) on December 17, 2025 and that it will pass much closer to Jupiter around March 10, 2026. This is because the Earth happens to be on the other side of its orbit around the Sun when A11pl3Z gets close to the Sun.
Its closest distance from the Sun is expected to be about 1.4 AU on October 27, 2025, three weeks after its passage within 0.4 AU from Mars. The current distances of A11pl3Z are about 3.8 AU from Earth and 4.8 AU from the Sun as of July 2, 2025.

Quote:Observing A11pl3Z also with the Webb telescope, located a million miles away from an Earth-based telescope, will allow us to detect via parallax any non-gravitational acceleration to exquisite precision, as shown in a recent paper I wrote with my student Sriram Elango.

The Webb telescope can also measure the emitted infrared flux and surface temperature of A11pl3Z — which when combined with its known parallax distance, can be used to infer its surface area. If the object is tumbling, it would be possible to use the evolution of the surface area projected along the line-of-sight in order to map the shape of the object in three dimensions.

The known size and shape and the reflected flux of sunlight from the object will allow us to infer its surface albedo (reflection coefficient) for sunlight. We did not have direct measurements of the area, surface temperature or albedo for `Oumuamua.
https://avi-loeb.medium.com/welcoming-a-new-interstellar-object-a11pi3z-0b01f1cb4fbc

(07-03-2025, 05:35 PM)gortex Wrote: Avi Loeb is calling for James Webb to investigate the object to see if it exhibits any none gravitational speed changes and measure its luminosity , seems this time they're looking at Mars and Jupiter.

Quote:An extrapolation of A11pl3Z’s orbit implies that its closest distance to Earth would be 2.4 times the Earth-Sun separation (=astronomical unit, abbreviated as AU) on December 17, 2025 and that it will pass much closer to Jupiter around March 10, 2026. This is because the Earth happens to be on the other side of its orbit around the Sun when A11pl3Z gets close to the Sun.
Its closest distance from the Sun is expected to be about 1.4 AU on October 27, 2025, three weeks after its passage within 0.4 AU from Mars. The current distances of A11pl3Z are about 3.8 AU from Earth and 4.8 AU from the Sun as of July 2, 2025.

Quote:Observing A11pl3Z also with the Webb telescope, located a million miles away from an Earth-based telescope, will allow us to detect via parallax any non-gravitational acceleration to exquisite precision, as shown in a recent paper I wrote with my student Sriram Elango.

The Webb telescope can also measure the emitted infrared flux and surface temperature of A11pl3Z — which when combined with its known parallax distance, can be used to infer its surface area. If the object is tumbling, it would be possible to use the evolution of the surface area projected along the line-of-sight in order to map the shape of the object in three dimensions.

The known size and shape and the reflected flux of sunlight from the object will allow us to infer its surface albedo (reflection coefficient) for sunlight. We did not have direct measurements of the area, surface temperature or albedo for `Oumuamua.
https://avi-loeb.medium.com/welcoming-a-new-interstellar-object-a11pi3z-0b01f1cb4fbc

Picture of ʻOumuamua 2.

Quote:If 3I/ATLAS is not an asteroid — based on the interstellar reservoir argument in my paper, nor a comet — based on the lack of the spectral fingerprints of carbon-based molecules around it, then what is it?

Quote:As I noted in an essay posted on July 7, the anomalous scenario is reminiscent of the science-fiction novel `Rendezvous with Rama,’ in which Arthur C. Clarke described the entry of a cylindrical 50-by-20 kilometers alien spaceship, not far from the inferred size of 3I/ATLAS, to the inner solar system.

(07-15-2025, 06:20 PM)gortex Wrote: As Oumuamua means 'scout' in Hawaiian giving it that name kind of infers a knowledge of something else coming , maybe we took ET home and now he's bringing the family to visit.

I hope it's more "live long and prosper" than "resistance is futile". 
     [

(07-16-2025, 11:26 AM)F2d5thCav Wrote: Detonation of all those atomic and nuclear weapons decades ago are now bearing wormy fruit.

(07-17-2025, 05:59 PM)gortex Wrote: Latest info on 3i/ATLAS from John Michael Godier , Hubble will take a look at the object on July 21st with the data being made available directly to scientists rather than the usual wait period to allow the team who scheduled the observation time to examine the data themselves , altruism in science.

Quote:Interstellar objects like 3I/ATLAS are remnants from distant star systems that have been ejected into space. They offer valuable insights into the building blocks of other planetary systems in the universe — including the chemical elements that were present when and where they formed, according to the statement.

3I/ATLAS is only the third interstellar object detected visiting our solar system, after 1I'Oumuamua in 2017 and 2I/Borisov in 2019. While more objects of this nature are believed to regularly pass through our solar system, they are incredibly difficult to capture.

However, at an estimated 12 miles (20 km) in diameter, 3I/ATLAS is much larger than previous interstellar objects, making it a better target for study. The new images from the Gemini North telescope show that the comet has a compact coma — the cloud of gas and dust enveloping its icy core. And other observations have suggested that it may be the oldest comet ever discovered (possibly older than our solar system), hailing from the outer thick disk of the Milky Way.
https://www.space.com/astronomy/comets/telescope-spies-rare-interstellar-comet-3i-atlas-zooming-through-our-solar-system-photos

(07-19-2025, 02:01 PM)gortex Wrote: An new image of 3I/ATLAS has been released taken by the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii , new information suggests the comet is Billions of year old and came from an ancient part of our Galaxy , it likely pre-dates our Solar System.
 

Quote:Interstellar objects like 3I/ATLAS are remnants from distant star systems that have been ejected into space. They offer valuable insights into the building blocks of other planetary systems in the universe — including the chemical elements that were present when and where they formed, according to the statement.

3I/ATLAS is only the third interstellar object detected visiting our solar system, after 1I'Oumuamua in 2017 and 2I/Borisov in 2019. While more objects of this nature are believed to regularly pass through our solar system, they are incredibly difficult to capture.

However, at an estimated 12 miles (20 km) in diameter, 3I/ATLAS is much larger than previous interstellar objects, making it a better target for study. The new images from the Gemini North telescope show that the comet has a compact coma — the cloud of gas and dust enveloping its icy core. And other observations have suggested that it may be the oldest comet ever discovered (possibly older than our solar system), hailing from the outer thick disk of the Milky Way.
https://www.space.com/astronomy/comets/telescope-spies-rare-interstellar-comet-3i-atlas-zooming-through-our-solar-system-photos

Quote:Posted by Kenzo1 
Theoretically , an alien spaceship could use 3I/ATLAS by hiding behind it so we probably would not detect it ........just saying

(07-19-2025, 02:54 PM)gortex Wrote:

Quote:Posted by Kenzo1 
Theoretically , an alien spaceship could use 3I/ATLAS by hiding behind it so we probably would not detect it ........just saying

Or in it , why use your resources to build a superstructure when you can capture a space rock and build what you want inside it safely wrapped up in natural protection.

This thing could still provide a few surprises aside from its fantastic speed, 3I/ATLAS makes a bullet look slow as it is traveling at about 60 KM per second and an average bullet travels about 1-2 KM a second , the problem with that is Webb and Hubble may have problems catching it but NASA are investigating using the Martian orbiters and rovers to look at it when it makes its close approach to Mars next year on its was home.

It'll be an interesting thing to keep an eye on for the next few months.

(07-19-2025, 02:01 PM)gortex Wrote: An new image of 3I/ATLAS has been released taken by the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii , new information suggests the comet is Billions of year old and came from an ancient part of our Galaxy , it likely pre-dates our Solar System.
 

That thing looks like an inbound photon torpedo.