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| -Signs, Portents, and the Weather- |
| New large intersteller comet to approach in late Oct 2025 |
| 2025-07-23 |
| [Space] The Hubble Space Telescope has caught its first glimpse of comet 3I/ATLAS. The comet is just the third object humanity has observed entering the solar system from beyond its limits. Prior to 3I/ATLAS, the previous two "interstellar invaders" were 1I/'Oumuamua, spotted in 2017, and 2I/Borisov, detected in 2019. Both have now left the solar system, though other interstellar bodies are predicted to dwell undetected in our cosmic backyard [3I/ATLAS is much bigger than either of the previous two - it may come within 15 million miles of Mars and 100 million miles of earth]. As Space.com reported on July 11, recent research suggested that 3I/ATLAS could be even more exciting than initially perceived, as its trajectory through the solar system indicates it comes from a region of the Milky Way older than our 4.6 billion-year-old solar system. With an estimated age of 7 billion years [thus mostly made of H and He], that would make 3I/ATLAS the oldest comet we've ever seen. |
| Posted by:Lord Garth |
| #10 I always thought Pournelle was a 'ride along' |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2025-07-23 23:55 |
| #9 The Ramans do everything in threes... ;) |
| Posted by: Nero 2025-07-23 21:49 |
| #8 A wonderful tale, Melancholic. As are all the books Niven and Pournelle wrote together. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2025-07-23 20:24 |
| #7 Reminds me of Lucifer's Hammer. |
| Posted by: Melancholic 2025-07-23 14:38 |
| #6 Or changes course |
| Posted by: Frank G 2025-07-23 14:24 |
| #5 Enormous asteroid the size of the Leaning Tower of Pisa headed toward Earth in just DAYS NASA has announced that asteroid 2025 OW is expected to pass within 393,000 miles of Earth on Monday, July 28. It's actually one of five asteroids NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) making a close pass by Earth over the next week. No real problem I guess, unless it hits the moon, |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2025-07-23 13:21 |
| #4 Controversial paper questions whether interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS is 'possibly hostile' alien tech in disguise... Oops, sorry above, thought anchored it. Linky |
| Posted by: mossomo 2025-07-23 13:15 |
| #2 So Ooiemooie (or however it's pronounced) was just the advance scout ship. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2025-07-23 08:57 |
| #1 ..."interstellar invaders" As Insty says "The photon cannon ARE a bit disconcerting." |
| Posted by: Mercutio 2025-07-23 08:49 |