Scientific observation

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Interstellar Object 31/ATLAS May Have Been Caught in Perserverance Rover Photo

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/tech...1&cvid=68e421e4e83a4f6ababa58ce688ecae8&ei=74

An amateur astronomer looking through data from NASA's Perseverance rover may have spotted interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as it passed overhead.

3I/ATLAS was discovered on July 1, this year, moving through the Solar System at nearly twice the velocity of previous interstellar visitors ‘Oumuamua and Comet Borisov. The object was confirmed to be an interstellar comet and is suspected to be far larger than the previous two, with an estimated nucleus (the rocky part of the comet, excluding its coma) of around 5.6 kilometers (3.5 miles), and a possible "anomalous" mass of over 33 billion tons.

The astronomical community continued to track the object, known to be a comet due to outgassing as it gets closer to the Sun on its way through the Solar System. Now, it has vanished from Earth's view and won't be back in it until later this year. But Earth is not the only place in the Solar System where humanity has cameras and scientific instruments.

On October 3, Comet 3I/ATLAS had its closest approach to Mars, passing by it at a distance of around 29 million kilometers (18 million miles). NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) both planned to observe the sky during this timeframe using space robots such as Mars Express and the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, and we'll find out soon enough if they observed it from Mars' orbit. And possibly, as the case may be, by the Perseverance rover on the Red Planet's surface.

Here's where it gets a little murky. As the US space agency explains on its website, "NASA Operating Status: NASA is currently CLOSED due to a lapse in Government funding". While NASA is unable to post information on any data that may have been captured by its robots, Perseverance continues to send its raw images, which are available to the public to view. Looking through those images, some believe they have identified the interstellar object. While one has been picked up by the press and the Internet alike, this one is unlikely to be an image of 3I/ATLAS. However, another that has gone unnoticed by most media may be worthy of some further attention.

So IFLScience went through the raw Perseverance data following a Reddit post claiming to have the first images. While there is definitely something moving across the several minutes of this time-lapse, the object is too fast to be the comet. This might have been one of the orbiters that fly around Mars.

But there is a better candidate, which appears to have been first spotted by Simeon Schmauß.

"I think Perseverance may have spotted interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS last night from Mars!" Schmauß wrote on Bluesky. "After stacking 20 images from Mastcam-Z, I found a faint smudge of light in the constellation Corona Borealis close to the location where the comet was expected."

 

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The first supermoon of 2025 is rising. Here's when you should look up

MSN

Fall is here, and October is bringing us a supermoon in the first week of the month.

On Monday, Oct. 6, the supermoon will take over the sky, the same night that the Draconid meteor shower is set to begin, according to NASA.

While October's moon, also known as the Harvest Moon, may be too bright to allow people to enjoy the meteor shower fully, the supermoon is still an incredible sight to see, as the moon will look around 30% brighter and up to 14% larger.

"It's an annual, worldwide event when moon enthusiasts come together to enjoy our natural satellite," NASA stated in its video "What's Up: October 2025 Skywatching Tips from NASA." "You can attend or host a moon-viewing party, or simply observe the Moon from wherever you are."

Here's what you should know about the full moon in October.

When will October's full moon reach its peak?

The full moon will be at its peak on Monday, Oct. 6, at 11:47 p.m. ET, according to Citizen Times, a part of the USA TODAY Network.

When will be the best time to see the October supermoon?

The best time to see the moon is when it is at its peak, but it will appear full for all night and even for a couple of days after.

What is a supermoon?

Supermoons happen when a new moon or a full moon is at its closest to Earth all month, according to NASA. The phenomenon is known as "perigee."

Because of that, the moon will look 30% brighter and up to 14% larger than it usually does.

3 supermoons to occur in 2025

October will not be the only month with a supermoon this year. Another will occur in November and December before the end of the year.

The supermoons will fall on the following dates, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac:

• Harvest Moon- Monday, Oct. 6 at 11:47 p.m. ET.
• Beaver Moon- Wednesday, Nov. 5 at 8:19 a.m. ET
• Cold Moon- Thursday, Dec. 4, at 6:14 a.m. ET

Of the three supermoons, November's full moon will be the closest to Earth at 221,817 miles away from Earth, with December's moon coming in second at 221,965 miles and October's moon in third at 224,600 miles, according to the Almanac.

Will you be able to see October's supermoon?

As of Sunday, Oct. 5, the National Weather Service is predicting that most of the U.S. will have clear skies between 8 p.m. ET on Monday, Oct. 6, and 2 a.m. ET Tuesday, Oct. 7, but it will be cloudy in some areas.

 

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In 4 Years' Time, 2 Billion People Will Witness a Sky Event That Only Happens Once Every 7,500 Years

MSN

On 13 April 2029, something extraordinary will unfold in the skies above Earth. An asteroid named 99942 Apophis — roughly the size of the Eiffel Tower — will pass within 30,000 kilometres of our planet, closer than many satellites. For the first time in human history, a near-Earth object of this magnitude will be visible to the naked eye, captivating observers across Europe, Africa, and parts of Asia.

Originally flagged as a potential planetary threat in 2004, Apophis sparked a wave of international concern after early calculations revealed a 2.7% chance of impact in 2029. That figure placed it at Level 4 on the Torino Impact Hazard Scale, the highest rating ever assigned at the time. The object’s ominous name, borrowed from the Egyptian god of chaos and darkness, seemed fitting.

Fast forward nearly two decades, and astronomers have since ruled out any collision for at least the next 100 years. Yet, while the risk has subsided, the scientific intrigue around Apophis has only deepened.

According to a 2024 study published in The Planetary Science Journal, Apophis’s close Earth encounter will alter its orbital path significantly. Its current trajectory, classified as Aten-type—an orbit mostly contained within Earth’s—will shift into an Apollo-type orbit, which extends beyond our planet’s own track around the Sun. The change is due to Earth’s gravitational influence, which will also likely affect the asteroid’s spin rate and surface structure.

This rare opportunity to observe an asteroid being gravitationally perturbed in real time has drawn global attention. Speaking at the Europlanet Science Congress, Richard Binzel, a planetary scientist at MIT and creator of the Torino Scale, confirmed: “Apophis is no longer a threat. But it’s the closest look we’ll get at a substantial asteroid without sending a crewed mission.”

NASA has already reassigned its OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, which recently completed a landmark sample return mission from asteroid Bennu. Now renamed OSIRIS-APEX, the probe will rendezvous with Apophis shortly after its 2029 flyby. Its objectives include mapping the asteroid’s surface, tracking its rotation, and detecting potential seismic activity triggered by tidal forces.

In parallel, the European Space Agency (ESA) is reviewing a proposal for a complementary mission dubbed RAMSES. If approved, the spacecraft would observe Apophis before, during and after the encounter. One concept involves deploying a subsatellite to monitor internal vibrations, offering insights into the body’s geological structure. If successful, Apophis could become only the third celestial body—after the Moon and Mars—to yield data on extraterrestrial seismicity.

Beyond its scientific potential, Apophis promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime sky event. Under clear skies, viewers across Western Europe and Northern Africa may see it shining as brightly as the stars in Ursa Major. Unlike a typical meteor that burns up in the atmosphere, Apophis will appear as a fast-moving star on a visible arc lasting several minutes—a spectacle that astronomers say will not repeat for 7,500 years.

The asteroid’s proximity also brings it inside the orbit of many geostationary satellites, prompting space agencies to monitor its passage closely. While there is no risk of a crash, the flyby could influence satellite navigation systems or trigger false readings in tracking data—another reason agencies are preparing observation campaigns well in advance.