Interstellar objects as a research area focus on the detection, characterization, and dynamical analysis of solid bodies that originate outside a planetary system and traverse or enter another, such as the Solar System. This field integrates observational astronomy, celestial mechanics, planetary science, and astrochemistry to constrain their trajectories, compositions, sizes, shapes, rotational states, and possible formation environments. Research investigates their implications for planetesimal formation, mass loss from planetary systems, galactic dynamical processes, and the transfer of material between stellar systems, as well as optimizing observational strategies and instrumentation for their rapid identification and follow-up before they exit observational reach.
As misinformation spreads faster than ever across digital platforms, new research highlights growing risks to public understanding of planetary defense, an area of science that deals with the threat from asteroid and comet ...
Planetary Sciences
May 18, 2026
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The Southwest Research Institute-led Ultraviolet Spectrograph (UVS) instruments aboard ESA's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) spacecraft and NASA's Europa Clipper made unique observations of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS ...
Planetary Sciences
May 13, 2026
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The comet that rambled past us from another star last year likely originated in a cold, isolated corner of the galaxy that had yet to gel into its own solar system, astronomers reported Thursday.
Astronomy
May 9, 2026
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New research reveals that Dante Alighieri's Inferno wasn't just a masterpiece of literature: it was a gedankenexperiment in impact physics. From multi-ring craters to shockwaves that reshaped the globe, discover how a 14th-century ...
Planetary Sciences
May 8, 2026
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New observations of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS include the first measurement of the abundance of deuterated water relative to ordinary water in an interstellar object. Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter ...
Astronomy
Apr 23, 2026
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Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is now on its way out of our solar system, never to return. The comet was only the third-ever detected object to originate from outside our solar system. Traveling at high speeds, it looped around ...
Planetary Sciences
Apr 16, 2026
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406
The Subaru Telescope observed the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS on January 7, 2026, after it made its closest approach to the sun. By observing colors in the coma around the comet, astronomers could estimate the ratio of carbon ...
Planetary Sciences
Apr 15, 2026
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As an astrophysicist, my world revolves around the wonders of space and the mysteries of the universe. This means I can be a tough critic of science fiction books and films that explore these topics.
Astronomy
Mar 19, 2026
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Comet 3I/ATLAS continues to make astonishing headlines, thanks to new findings from astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). This new research reveals that 3I/ATLAS is packed with an unusually ...
Astronomy
Mar 9, 2026
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405
This striking image from the science camera on ESA's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) shows interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS spewing dust and gas. The tiny nucleus of the comet (not visible) is surrounded by a bright halo of ...
Astronomy
Feb 27, 2026
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