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
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
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
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
The press conference for the first release of images from the NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory just wrapped. Granted, the embargo lifted at midnight this morning, so news outlets already posted their stories with the two ‘glamour shots’. Still, there… Read More »Vera Rubin Release: M49, Trifid/Lagoon
No shortage of coverage for Vera Rubin, but… https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2025-06-22/vera-rubin-observatory-universe-never-before/105442694Ellen Phiddian The Vera C Rubin Observatory is about to show us the universe like never before …this one is abc-relevant, and I don’t mean the publisher. ABC is Australia’s equivalent of the… Read More »Vera Rubin Down Under
You know the Vera Rubin Observatory is still a big deal when it make the New York Times. www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/06/19/science/rubin-observatory-camera.htmlJonathan Corum, Kenneth Chang Jun 19 Earth’s Largest Camera Takes 3 Billion-Pixel Images of the Night Sky Not as in-depth as the Science… Read More »Vera Rubin Uptown
Cover of Science. You know the Vera Rubin Observatory is a big deal when it makes the cover of Science magazine. In vol. 388, issue 6753 (19 June 2025): https://www.science.org/content/article/giant-all-seeing-telescope-set-revolutionize-astronomyDaniel Clery 18 Jun All-seeing eye p. 1256 10.1126/science.z3ptiml https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adz8351Daniel Clery … Read More »Vera Rubin Of Late
Let’s check the New Astronomy issue for October (vol. 119). Yes, they’re up to October already: Wang, S. Yang, Y. Yuan, H. et al. CCD Photometric studies of two Primitive C-type main-belt asteroids: (51) Nemausa and (52) Europa 102391 .2025.102391Vaduvescu,… Read More »Note, Paper: See NEAs Overseas
Just over a week until the Vera Rubin Observatory’s First Look Event, June 23 (online presentation at 11:00 am Eastern Time). Observatory testing and calibration has peaked, and is now wrapping up loose ends, since… the remaining tasks are becoming… Read More »Vera Rubin Update (Mid-Jun 2025)