Tag: VLT
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Rogue Planet Accretion: Explosive Growth Revealed in Space
Rogue Planet Accretion: An Unprecedented Growth Spurt Astronomers have identified an enormous burst of growth in a wandering planet, a rogue world that drifts through interstellar space without a parent star. The object, Cha 1107-7626, is accumulating gas and dust at a staggering rate of about six billion tons per second — the highest accretion…
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Extreme NiI/FeI Abundance in 3I/ATLAS Comet’s Coma
Overview Emission lines from neutral nickel (NiI) and neutral iron (FeI) are commonly seen in the comae of solar system comets, even when the Sun’s heat is far from sublimating refractory materials. The interstellar journey of comets preserves chemical fingerprints from their parent systems, and recent work on the interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS has highlighted an…
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Common Questions About Interstellar Object 3I/Atlas Answered
What is 3I/Atlas and why is it in the news? 3I/Atlas is an interstellar object that has captured wide scientific attention. Sightings began on July 1, observed by the ATLAS survey telescope in Chile. Since then, major observatories—the James Webb Space Telescope, the Hubble Space Telescope, and the Very Large Telescope—have also seen or imaged…
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3I/Atlas: Common Questions About the Interstellar Object
What is 3I/Atlas and why is it in the spotlight? Interstellar object 3I/Atlas is attracting intense interest because it is the first known object to travel through our solar system from outside the Sun’s gravity well. It was first observed on July 1 by Chile’s ATLAS Survey Telescope, and subsequent views from the James Webb…