SpaceX Scrubs, Europa's Icy Mysteries, and the Remarkable 3I/Atlas Comet

WEBVTT

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Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your gateway to the latest

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cosmic revelations. I'm your host, Anna,

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and today we have an episode packed with exciting space

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news. We'll kick things off with an unexpected launch

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delay that saw a crucial solar wind mission

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temporarily grounded. And we'll uncover the surprising

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reason behind that scrub, then prepare to meet

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an ancient interstellar visitor, Comet 3i/Atlas

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Atlas, and discover how it was accidentally

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spotted even before its official discovery.

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Finally, we'll provide practical tips for safely observing and

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photographing our very own star, the dynamic

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Sun.

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Let's dive in. Let's start

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by delving into some recent launch news, specifically

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a SpaceX Falcon 9 scrub at Vandenberg Space

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Force Base that caught many off guard. What

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initially looked like a straightforward hold turned out to be a

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bit more complex. SpaceX was all set

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to launch tracers, NASA's latest mission to

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study solar wind and its impact on earth. From

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Vandenberg's SLC4E, the

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booster was even planning a return to launch site landing.

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Everything seemed to be going smoothly in the final countdown,

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right up until the hold, hold, hold call came in

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indicating the launch was paused and for

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Falcon 9, scrubbed for the day.

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The initial announcement cited FAA airspace

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concerns, which isn't entirely uncommon and

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as a range can go red if a boat or plane enters the exclusion

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zone. However, this time the reason was far more

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unusual. The Federal Aviation Administration

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or faa, confirmed that the airspace

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concerns weren't about a specific aircraft, but

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rather the air traffic control centre monitoring those

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aircraft. This particular centre,

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the LA artc, is responsible

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for a massive flight information region covering Southern

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California where Vandenberg is located, along with

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parts of Nevada, Utah and Arizona.

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A regional power outage in the Santa Barbara area caused

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communication problems for the LAR TCC.

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This meant they couldn't verify or perhaps even

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tell SpaceX whether the range was clear for

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launch. Without that crucial green light,

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SpaceX had no choice but to scrub the Falcon 9

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launch due to the unacceptable range configuration.

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While this specific launch faced an unexpected hurdle,

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another attempt was pencilled in for the very next day.

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Interestingly, despite this West coast snag,

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SpaceX did manage a successful launch just hours

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later from Cape Canaveral Space Force station in Florida.

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Two satellites for SES owned O3B

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networks, MPower M9 and MPower M10,

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lifted off during their second launch opportunity.

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This particular Florida launch had its own set of

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challenges as its first attempt the previous day was

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also scrubbed, though that was due to weather conditions rather

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than range issues. It just goes to show the dynamic

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and often unpredictable nature of Space operations.

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With various factors, from power outages to

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weather, playing a role in getting these missions off the ground.

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From one dynamic event to another, let's now turn our

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gaze to Jupiter's intriguing moon Europa.

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New observations from the James Webb Space Telescope are painting

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a vivid and frankly quite chaotic picture of its

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icy shell, revealing it to be a dynamic world

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far from frozen in time. For decades,

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scientists often pictured Europa's frozen surface as a

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still, silent shell. But these new findings

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are completely changing that perception. According to

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Richard Cartwright, a spectroscopist at Johns Hopkins

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University's Applied Physics Laboratory and lead author

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of this new study, the surface of Europa is likely

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quite porous and warm enough in certain areas to allow

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ice to rapidly recrystallize. This

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suggests a level of activity we hadn't fully appreciated.

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Even more exciting is what this surface activity reveals about

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Europa's subsurface ocean regions, known

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as chaos terrains. Highly disrupted areas where

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blocks of ice appear to have broken off, drifted and then

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refrozen are proving to be incredibly valuable.

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They act as potential windows into Europa's mysterious

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interior, hinting at ongoing geological

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processes. The study specifically

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focused on two regions in Europa's southern

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hemisphere, Tara Regio and Pas

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Regio. Tara Regio in particular,

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has emerged as one of the moon's most intriguing areas.

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The Webb telescope's observations detected

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crystalline ice not just on the surface, but

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also deeper below, which challenges previous

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assumptions about how ice is distributed on Europa.

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By measuring the spectral properties of these chaos regions

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using remotely sensed data, scientists are gaining

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crucial insights into Europa's chemistry and,

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significantly, its potential for habitability.

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Ujwal Raut, programme manager at the Southwest Research

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Institute and a co author of the study,

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emphasised that their data strongly suggests that what they

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are observing must be sourced from the interior,

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possibly from a vast subsurface ocean and

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nearly 20 miles, or 30 kilometres beneath

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Europa's thick icy shell. To better

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understand this, Raut and his team conducted

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laboratory experiments. They studied how

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water freezes on Europa, where the surface is

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constantly bombarded by charged particles from

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space. Unlike Earth, where ice

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naturally forms a hexagonal crystal structure,

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Europa's intense radiation disrupts this,

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causing it to become amorphous ice, a

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disordered non crystalline form.

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These experiments were vital in demonstrating how the ice

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changes over time, offering clues about the

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Moon's surface dynamics. When combined with

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Webb's fresh data, these findings add to the

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mounting evidence of a vast hidden liquid

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ocean beneath Europa's icy crust.

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Cartwright pointed out that in these same fascinating

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regions, they've also found strong indications of

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Sodium chloride, essentially table salt

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likely originating from that interior ocean.

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Furthermore, they've seen some of the strongest evidence for carbon

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dioxide and hydrogen peroxide on Europa. The

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chemistry in these specific locations is truly bizarre and

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incredibly exciting. These fractured surface

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features strongly suggest geologic activity is

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pushing material up from beneath Europa's icy shell.

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Webb's Near Spec instrument is particularly well

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suited for studying Europa's surface because it can

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detect key chemical signatures across a wide

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range of infrared wavelengths. This includes

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features associated with crystalline water ice and

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a specific form of carbon dioxide called 13

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CO2. This is significant for understanding the

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moon's geological and chemical processes.

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The team detected higher levels of carbon dioxide in these

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areas compared to surrounding regions, leading them

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to conclude that it most likely originates from the

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subsurface ocean rather than external sources

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like meteorites, which would result in a more

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even distribution given that carbon

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dioxide is unstable under Europa's intense

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radiation environment. These deposits are thought

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to be relatively recent and directly linked to

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ongoing geological processes. The

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evidence for a liquid ocean underneath Europa's icy shell

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continues to grow, making this an incredibly

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thrilling time for planetary science. The

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discovery of carbon 13, an isotope of carbon,

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further deepens the mystery. As Cartwright noted,

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it's hard to explain its presence, but every road

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leads back to an internal origin. This

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aligns with other hypotheses about the origin of carbon

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dioxide detected in Tara Regio. This new

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study also comes at a perfect time, as NASA's

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Europa Clipper mission is currently en route to the Jovian

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moon with an expected arrival in April

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2030. The spacecraft will perform dozens of

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close flybys, gathering critical data about the

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hidden ocean, building upon the incredible insights

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from the James Webb Space Telescope.

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Now let's shift our focus from the icy moon Europa

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to an even more distant and Ancient

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Comet, 3i/Atlas This celestial object

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holds a special place in astronomical history,

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as it is only the third interstellar object humanity

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has ever observed entering our solar system. The

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previous two 1i Oumuamua in 2017

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and 2i Borisov in 2019

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have already made their grand exits. But 3i/Atlas is still

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giving us plenty to talk about. What makes this comet

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particularly captivating isn't just its interstellar

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origin, but also the serendipitous way its

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earliest high resolution images were captured.

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Get this. The Vera C Rubin Observatory,

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a powerful new facility designed to scan the universe,

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actually took pictures of 3i/Atlas before it was even officially

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discovered. During its science validation phase,

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the Rubin Observatory just happened to be pointing at the right

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part of the sky where 3i/Atlas was located.

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Unbeknownst to the operators, it snapped

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images of the comet between June 21 and July

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7, even a few days before the telescope

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officially released its first look images to the public.

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These observations are incredibly important because they

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represent the earliest, highest resolution images we

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have of this rare interstellar visitor. At that

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time, the observatory's 8.4-metre

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Simui Survey Telescope, combined with its

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3.2-gigapixel Legacy Survey of Space and Time

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camera provided unparalleled detail.

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Adding to the excitement, the Hubble Space Telescope also

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caught its first glimpse of Comet 3i/Atlas. These Hubble

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images confirm the comet's puffy coma, a

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cloud of gas and dust surrounding its nucleus. The

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arrival of 3i/Atlas Atlas has really ignited a period

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of intense study for astronomers, with many

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instruments now attempting to get a good look at it. Since its initial

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spotting on July 1, 2025 by the

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Atlas Survey Telescope, recent research

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suggests that 3i/Atlas could be even more exciting than

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initially thought. Its trajectory through our

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solar system indicates it comes from a region of the Milky

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Way that is older than our own 4.6 billion

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year old solar system. With an estimated

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age of 7 billion years, 3i/Atlas

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Atlas holds the title of the oldest comet we've

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ever seen, offering a potential window

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into the earliest days of planetary systems

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far beyond our own. The images

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captured, especially those from Rubin, reveal a

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comet that largely behaved as expected, confirming its

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cometary nature with a clear coma of gas and

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dust. Interestingly, the apparent

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size of its coma grew by about 58% during the

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observation period as it continued to approach the Sun.

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But here's where it gets truly unique. It had a

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sunward pointing tail. This unusual

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phenomenon, explained by what's called anisotropic dust

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emission, is relatively rare, but has been observed

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in other comets. It could be due to the slow

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ejection of large particles that aren't pushed back

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as quickly by the Sun's radiation pressure or

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perhaps a rotational axis that nearly aligns with its

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orbital plane. While 3i/Atlas

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hasn't shown any signs of non gravitational acceleration.

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Unlike 1i Oumuamua, astronomers will

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be watching closely as it approaches its perihelion in

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October, though it will unfortunately be blocked by

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the sun from September through December and won't be

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visible during that crucial period.

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Nevertheless, the data from 3i/Atlas is already

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incredibly rich. Optical and near

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infrared spectroscopy has revealed that it's an

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active interstellar comet containing abundant water

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ice with a dust composition similar to D type

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asteroids, space rocks rich in organic

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molecules, silicates and carbon. This kind of

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detailed Insight helps us paint a more intimate picture of

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planetary systems beyond our own. The Vera

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C Rubin Observatory, which inadvertently gave us these

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early views, is expected to discover

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between 5 and 50 more interstellar objects

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as they zip through our solar system over its decade

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long survey, promising a future filled with even more

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cosmic surprises.

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From ancient comets to cutting edge observatories,

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space. Space constantly offers us new wonders to explore.

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But sometimes the most extraordinary cosmic

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sights are right here in our own solar system, if you know

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how to look for them. For our final segment today,

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let's turn our attention to our very own star,

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the sun, and unlock the secrets to safely

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and effectively photographing its intricate details.

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Most of us have probably taken a picture of the rising or

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setting sun, but those images typically show an

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overexposed ball of light. That's because even with

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the lowest camera settings, the sun's surface is simply

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too bright for standard photography gear to resolve any detail.

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To truly capture our dynamic local star, you need

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specialised equipment and a deep understanding of safety.

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First and foremost, safety is paramount.

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Never look directly at the sun without certified solar

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eclipse glasses, as even brief exposure can

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cause permanent eye damage when

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photographing. If your camera has an optical viewfinder,

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avoid looking through it. Always use the digital

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display as uh. Some filters designed for cameras aren't safe for

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direct eye observation. To successfully

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photograph the sun, you must significantly reduce its

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effective brightness. The primary tool for

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this is a neutral density filter which attaches to the

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end of your camera lens. These aren't your everyday

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filters. You need one specifically designed for solar

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photography, capable of blocking out an immense amount of

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light, over 99.9% in fact.

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These specialised filters ensure you can resolve

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details while protecting your camera sensor.

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Different filters allow you to capture different layers

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and features of the sun. A white

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light filter reduces intensity across all

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wavelengths, revealing the sun's surface known

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as the photosphere. With this, you can clearly

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see sunspots, which are cooler, darker regions

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caused by intense magnetic fields. For even more

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detail, particularly of features in the sun's atmosphere

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above the photosphere, you'll want to use specialised

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filters like H Alpha or kk. H

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Alpha filters, for instance, capture light emitted by

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hydrogen plasma, making the sun appear red

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and revealing structures like filaments and prominences.

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Filaments are twisted magnetic structures seen against the

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sun's disc, while prominences are the same

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structures seen dramatically arcing out from the

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sun's edge against the dark backdrop of space.

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CK filters, on the other hand, filter light

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from calcium plasma, showing a different perspective

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of the chromosphere. If you're feeling

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ambitious. You can even photograph the sun with a telescope,

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either by mounting your camera to it or using a dedicated

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solar telescope. These setups often come with

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internal filter systems designed for detailed solar

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observation. By experimenting with these various

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filters and understanding their unique capabilities,

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you can move beyond the simple overexposed disc

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and capture the true, ever changing nature of our

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star, revealing its fascinating sunspots,

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fiery prominences, and intricate filaments.

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Again, a final reminder always think safety first and never

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look directly at the Sun. And that

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brings us to the end of another fascinating journey through the

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cosmos on Astronomy Daily. Thank

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you for joining me, Anna, as we explored everything from

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unexpected launch scrubs and the hidden depths of

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Europa to ancient interstellar comets and

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the art of photographing our own Sun. If you

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enjoyed today's episode and want to delve deeper into the wonders

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of the universe, be sure to visit our

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website at astronomydaily.IO.

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there you can listen to all our back episodes and become a true

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astronomy completionist. And

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don't forget to subscribe to Astronomy Daily on Apple

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Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or

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wherever you get your podcasts, so you never miss an

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update. Until tomorrow,

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keep looking up.