All articles tagged with #interstellar
NASA's JPL shut down Voyager 1's Low-energy Charged Particles instrument in 2026 due to dwindling plutonium power; both Voyager probes will likely go quiet in coming years, but the Golden Record—carrying greetings in 55 languages from Akkadian to Wu—remains as a timeless, symbolic self-portrait of humanity, a gesture rather than a scientific instrument, designed to convey Earth's diversity to any distant listener.
NASA's Voyager 1 and 2 may keep transmitting deep-space data into the 2030s thanks to a high-risk power-management maneuver nicknamed the 'Big Bang' that will disable three instruments to prevent fuel-line freezing and replace them with new devices to save about 10 watts. Testing on Voyager 2 in May and June 2026, followed by Voyager 1, aims to extend instrument life by roughly a year as power from aging RTGs dwindles; the goal remains to reach about 200 astronomical units by around 2035, though the probes will continue to lose capability as power declines and the transmitter consumes most of the remaining power.
Astronomers analyzing the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS found an exceptionally high amount of heavy water (deuterium-rich water), suggesting it formed in a much colder, lower-radiation environment than our solar system. This marks the first successful water analysis of an interstellar object and points to diverse planetary-forming conditions across the galaxy, with future studies likely to reveal more such visitors as observational capabilities improve.
ALMA observations of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS show a deuterium-rich water signature, indicating it formed in a colder, outer region of a protoplanetary disk around another star, making it a time capsule from the galaxy’s early days.
NASA’s Voyager 1 is on track to become the first human-made object to travel a full light-day away from Earth (about 25.9 billion km), with the milestone expected in late 2026 to early 2027 as it drifts through interstellar space about 166 AU from Earth. Signals take roughly 23 hours to reach the craft, and power is expected to last into the early 2030s, after which Voyager 1 will continue its endless journey beyond the Solar System toward the stars.
Astronomers using the ALMA Observatory found that interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS contains unusually high deuterium in its water, implying it formed in a very cold, loner star-forming region long before the Sun. The object could be the oldest known interstellar visitor (up to about 11 billion years old); its nucleus is estimated to range from a quarter-mile to 3.5 miles (440 meters to 5.6 kilometers) across, and it is speeding away from the Sun at roughly 137,000 mph. The findings, published in Nature Astronomy, add context to other interstellar visitors like Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov.
ALMA measurements of deuterated water in interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS show it formed in a far colder, chemically distinct region of the Milky Way than the solar system, with deuterated-water content about 30 times higher than solar-system comets and roughly 40 times Earth's oceans.
New measurements of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS show its coma chemistry changing after a close pass to the Sun, with the CO2-to-water ratio shifting between observations in late 2025 and early 2026 (including Subaru data from Jan 7, 2026 and JUICE observations in Nov 2025). The results imply the comet’s internal chemistry differs from its external makeup, offering insights into planetesimal and planet formation in other star systems; the work by Yoshiharu Shinnaka and collaborators will be published in the Astronomical Journal on April 22, 2026.
New JWST/NIRSpec analysis of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS finds an unusually low carbon-13 to carbon-12 ratio and significant deuterium enrichment, implying it formed very early in the Milky Way’s history. Modeling suggests 3I/ATLAS may be 10–12 billion years old, potentially originating from a thick-disk star system, making it one of the oldest interstellar visitors and perhaps a relic from a vanished stellar neighborhood. The age estimate is not yet peer‑reviewed and is available via a preprint, with researchers noting ongoing uncertainty but tantalizing clues about ancient planet formation beyond our galaxy.
Observations of interstellar comet 3I/Atlas show its coma is unusually rich in methanol—up to four times typical levels—along with carbon dioxide and other organics, suggesting formation in a colder or chemically distinct environment. The study, based on ALMA data, indicates methanol (and other gases) may be released from both the nucleus and sublimating icy grains in a hyperactive comet, supporting a natural origin. As it travels away from the Sun at about 60 km/s, 3I/Atlas reinforces that more interstellar visitors are likely to be found with advancing detection capability.
Variety’s Owen Gleiberman calls Project Hail Mary a lavish, entertaining space epic: Gosling delivers a relatable, charming performance as a lone scientist and an onboard alien buddy adds warmth, but the movie is overlong and too derivative of Interstellar and other sci‑fi hits, with a padded finale and a formulaic emotional arc that undercuts its buzzy spectacle.
Researchers from i4is propose an indirect intercept to interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS using a Solar Oberth maneuver, launching in 2035 to align Earth, Jupiter, and the comet. Direct Earth-launch missions are unlikely due to late detection and the comet’s high speed, making a flyby the most viable option. The plan could enable revolutionary science about other star systems, but propulsion readiness and long flight times (around 50 years) present major hurdles and DEP/advanced propulsion remain decades away.
Timothée Chalamet reunites with his Interstellar co-star Matthew McConaughey at a UT Austin town hall to reminisce about their early days on Christopher Nolan’s space epic, discuss how Nolan shaped their approach to acting, and explore Chalamet’s upcoming projects and Oscar ambitions, all delivered with warmth, humor, and mutual admiration as they share anecdotes and insights into their careers.
NASA’s SPHEREx telescope observed the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS erupting after its Sun encounter, releasing abundant organic compounds such as methanol, cyanide and methane along with relatively large fragments. The data suggest a radiation-processed crust and deeper ice reserves were heated, offering a rare glimpse at material formed around another star.
Comet C/2024 E1 (Wierzchoś) is brightening as it nears its closest approach to Earth and is on a hyperbolic trajectory that will likely eject it from the solar system, making it another interstellar visitor like 3I/ATLAS. JWST detected significant CO2 in its coma and initial estimates put the nucleus around 13.7 km, thoughSize estimates vary. It passed perihelion earlier in January and will be about 151 million km from Earth on Feb. 17; the emerald iceball will not be naked-eye visible but can be observed with a telescope. Once sent on its interstellar journey, it will drift through the Milky Way for millions to billions of years.