Interstellar Space

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Tag: Bad Astronomy

The interstellar comet Borisov was shiny and new when it passed through our solar system

Phil Plait

Artwork showing what the surface of the comet 2/I Borisov might look like. Credit: ESO/M. Kormesser

Tag: Bad Astronomy

Tag: Bad Astronomy

Our first interstellar visitor 'Oumuamua may be an ice chunk blasted off an alien Pluto

Phil Plait

Artwork depicting the interstellar object ‘Oumuamua, which may be a flattened pancake of nitrogen ice. Credit: William Hartmann

Tag: Bad Astronomy

Tag: Bad Astronomy

Is the alien chunk 'Oumuamua actually a hydrogen iceberg?

Phil Plait

Jun 4, 2020

Artwork depicting what ‘Oumuamua might look like; observations indicate it’s highly elongated. But where did it come from? Credit: ESO / M. Kornmesser

Tag: Bad Astronomy

Tag: Bad Astronomy

A tale of two comets: ATLAS shrugs, Borisov is finally weird

Phil Plait

Apr 23, 2020

Comet C/2019 Y4 (ATLAS) glows green due to the presence of diatomic carbon, common in comets. Credit: Damian Peach

Tag: Bad Astronomy

Tag: Bad Astronomy

Tag: Interstellar Space

Where does the interstellar comet 2I/Borisov come from?

Phil Plait

Jan 20, 2020

Ross 573 (arrowed), a red dwarf star, may be the home for the second known interstellar visitor to our solar system, the comet 2I/Borisov. Credit: SIMBAD/Aladin/DSS

Tag: Bad Astronomy

Tag: Interstellar Space

Tag: Bad Astronomy

Update: The interstellar comet 2I/Borisov is still not acting very alien

Phil Plait

Nov 5, 2019

The interstellar comet 2I/Borisov, an alien visitor from another star. The pointy ears are a dead giveaway. NASA, ESA, and D. Jewitt (University of California, Los Angeles)

Tag: Bad Astronomy

Tag: Bad Astronomy

Hubble observes an alien visitor: the comet 2I/Borisov

Phil Plait

Oct 17, 2019

Hubble Space Telescope image of the comet 2I/Borisov (formerly C/2019 Q4 (Borisov)). The blue color was added to a grayscale image. Credit: NASA, ESA, and D. Jewitt (University of California, Los Angeles)

Tag: Bad Astronomy

Tag: Bad Astronomy

Updates on an alien visitor: The interstellar comet 2I/Borisov

Phil Plait

Sep 30, 2019

The interstellar comet 2I/Borisov imaged by the massive Gemini telescope on 9-10 September 2019. The telescope tracked the comet and took several images in red and blue filters, so the stars appear as a trail of multi-colored dots.

Tag: Bad Astronomy

Tag: Bad Astronomy

Wait. *ANOTHER* interstellar object is passing through the solar system?

Phil Plait

Sep 13, 2019

‘Oumuamua, the first object ever seen passing through our solar system from interstellar space, was thought to be emitting gas like a comet to explain its weird motion, but a new idea is that the comet is just very, very porous.

Tag: Bad Astronomy

Tag: Bad Astronomy

No, 'Oumuamua is not an alien spaceship. It might be even weirder.

Phil Plait

Feb 18, 2019

Artwork depicting what ‘Oumuamua might look like; observations indicate it’s highly elongated. But where did it come from? Credit: ESO / M. Kornmesser

Tag: Bad Astronomy

Tag: Bad Astronomy

So, about that 'interstellar asteroid' announced yesterday…

Phil Plait

May 22, 2018

Eros, a lumpy potato of an asteroid, is pretty typical of such solar system objects. Credit: NASA

Tag: Bad Astronomy

Tag: Bad Astronomy

Did our first known interstellar visitor come from a dead star?

Phil Plait

Jan 4, 2018

Artwork depicting what ‘Oumuamua might look like; observations indicate it’s highly elongated. But where did it come from? Credit: ESO / M. Kornmesser

Tag: Bad Astronomy

Tag: Bad Astronomy

So long, rock from an alien solar system. I mean that literally: So. Long.

Phil Plait

Nov 21, 2017

‘Oumuamua, an asteroid from another solar system, is quite elongated and look very much like this artist’s impression of it. Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser

Tag: Bad Astronomy

Tag: Bad Astronomy

An interstellar rock gets a name

Phil Plait

Nov 8, 2017

When it was still called A/2017 U1, the object was spotted by the William Herschel Telescope on the island of La Palma. The telescope guided on the motion of the object, so stars appear to trail.

Tag: Bad Astronomy

Tag: Bad Astronomy

BREAKING! Have astronomers discovered our first interstellar visitor? NOTE: Not aliens

Phil Plait

Oct 27, 2017

The interstellar asteroid A/2017 U1, images using a 40 cm telescope when the object was about 60 million km from Earth and at a magnitude of 22 (that’s very faint). Credit: Gianluca Masi (Virtual Telescope Project) and Michael Schwartz (Tengra Observatory

Tag: Bad Astronomy

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