It’s official and it’s named. The object, provisionally designated A11pl3Z, showed ‘fuzziness’ (nebulosity, likely from activity) and was then given the comet designation C/2025 N1. Official discovery credit goes to the ATLAS network, Chile site (Rio Hurtado)- hence, the third designation.… Read More »Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS
The coverage and hoopla around the Vera C. Rubin Observatory have died down a bit. Mentioned briefly in the First Look Event was the Skyviewer “app” (actually an interactive website, skyviewer.app), which includes a sonification tool (Skysynth). This site/app allows… Read More »Vera Rubin Uploading
Quickly, the July 1 Astrophysical Journal Letters (vol. 987 #1) contains: Sheppard, S. S. Hsieh, H. H. Pokorný, P. et al. Colors and Dynamics of a Near-Sun Orbital Asteroid Family: 2021 PH27 and 2025 GN1 L18 ade3da Sheppard et al. picked… Read More »Note, Paper: Separated At Near-Earth
Astronomy and Astrophysics for June (vol. 699) is shorter than usual. Still, consider the following: Smirnov, E. A. Chaotic diffusion and transient resonance captures of the near-Earth asteroid 2024 YR4 A26 202554489 Zhang, Y. Xu, Y-B. Qi, Z. et al. … Read More »Note, Paper: NEO Heat-Pieces
Okay, one more Rubin Observatory post: gizmodo.com/rubin-observatorys-stunning-result-proves-its-a-game-changer-for-spotting-dangerous-asteroids-2000621581 I’ve already posted that the Vera Rubin Observatory will be– and now demonstrates it is– the new and undisputed champion of asteroid discovery. Let the conspiracy theory nuts take heed: NASA is not… Read More »Vera Rubin Upstanding
2024 YR4 aside (no, it will NOT kill you), we should give asteroids their proper due. Asteroids are clues left over from the early Solar System, and contain presolar grains (crystals that predate the Sun and planets). Asteroids (the NEOs-… Read More »Happy Asteroid Day!
In Astronomical Journal, for July (vol 170 #1): Xu, X. Wang, X. Muinonen, K. et al. Photometric Analysis of Asteroids in the Phocaea Region Art. 35 add3f4Silber, E.A. Trigo-Rodríguez, J. M. Oseghae, I. et al. Multiparameter Constraints on Empirical Infrasound… Read More »Note, Paper: Plenty Planet Pieces
See also: Day 1 The 33rd meeting of the Small Bodies Assessment Group continues. This is a somewhat shorter SBAG meeting than usual. Given the upheaval of January/February, and the budget/regulatory risk, funding could not be confidently assigned for Early… Read More »Summer 2025 SBAG Meeting, Day 2
Yes, it’s time for the 33rd Meeting of the NASA Small Bodies Assessment Group (SBAG). https://www.lpi.usra.edu/sbag/meetings/sbagjune2025/ See the schedule: https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/sbagjune2025/technical_program/?session_no=101 Really, the overarching theme was the strangling of planetary science, and not just at small bodies. We are talking about… Read More »Summer 2025 SBAG Meeting, Day 1
Clearly, no shortage of press about the Vera Rubin Observatory, but: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/23/science/rubin-telescope-asteroids.htmKenneth Chang Jun 23 Vera Rubin Telescope Quickly Found 1,200 New Asteroids …this one’s of particular relevance here. There was a Times story on Vera Rubin in general, and… Read More »Vera Rubin Upholding