 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 by Staff Writers Krakow Poland (SPX) Oct 15, 2019
For decades, astronomers have speculated that the space between stars may be populated by exosolar minor bodies - comets and asteroids - ejected from their home planetary systems. Studies have also suggested that these bodies may occasionally pass through the Solar System and be identified thanks to their strongly open orbits. The discovery of 'Oumuamua two years ago brought the long-awaited confirmation, sparking hopes for subsequent detections. A team of scientists led by astronomers from the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland had done their homework well ahead of time. Prompted by the earlier visit of 'Oumuamua, they created a computer program nicknamed "Interstellar Crusher" that scanned tirelessly through online data of newly-found comets and asteroids in search of guests from far away. On 8 September 2019 at 04:15 universal time, the program issued a red alert and notified the team of a possible new hyperbolic object arriving from interstellar space. "This code was written specifically for this purpose, and we really hoped to receive this message one day. We only didn't know when," said Piotr Guzik of the Jagiellonian University, who led the study. A closer investigation into the object's orbit confirmed its exosolar origin, making it the second-known interstellar interloper. Two days after receiving the alert, the team was already scrutinizing their first images of the object obtained at the William Herschel Telescope on La Palma, Spain, and getting ready to receive more data from the larger Gemini North Telescope on Maunakea, Hawaii. The photographs were obtained in two color bands and provided the first astrophysically significant glimpse of the body. "We immediately noticed the familiar coma and tail that were not seen around 'Oumuamua," said Michal Drahus of the Jagiellonian University, who co-led the study with Guzik. "This is really cool because it means that our new visitor is one of these mythical and never-before-seen 'real' interstellar comets," Drahus said. It took proper measurements before the team could determine the comet's color and estimate its other properties. They have found that comet Borisov has a dust-dominated morphology, a reddish hue, and that its solid nucleus is about 1 km in radius. "Make of this what you will, but based on these initial characteristics, this object appears indistinguishable from the native Solar System comets," said Guzik. The team's findings are being published in Nature Astronomy on 14 October 2019. However, this is only a prologue to a more thorough investigation. "The comet is still emerging from the Sun's morning glare and growing in brightness. It will be observable for several months, which makes us believe that the best is yet to come," said Waclaw Waniak of the Jagiellonian University, co-author of the study. The team still has a considerable amount of observing time reserved on the Gemini North Telescope, and they had booked a large slot on the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope well ahead of Borisov's discovery. "We can safely say that research on this body will be transformative for planetary astronomy and a milestone for astronomy in general," Guzik said.
NASA's Webb to unlock the mysteries of comets and the early solar system Baltimore MD (SPX) Sep 27, 2019 Since ancient times, comets have fascinated sky-watchers, who often considered them divine omens. A Chinese historian recorded an apparition of Comet Halley as far back as 240 BC, describing it as a "broom star." The Babylonians and Romans also referenced the comet's appearance, but perhaps its most famous depiction is in the Bayeux Tapestry, which commemorates the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. The tapestry shows King Harold and a crowd of fearful Englishmen pointing to Comet Halley as it looms in ... read more
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
Google
