On Oct. 19, 2017, a new object was discovered passing through the inner solar system. The discovery of new objects passing through the inner solar system is not all that unusual. What is unusual is where this object may come from. It is not from our solar system. If this is true, it will be the first extra-solar system object discovered passing through our solar system.
The object was discovered by the University of Hawaii’s Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System 1 (Pan-STARRS 1) telescope and has been named A/2017 U1 by the Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, Mass. The object appears to be an asteroid, but may be a comet. It is about a quarter-mile (400 meters) in diameter.
The object approached our solar system from above the sun. On September 9, the object made its closest approach to the sun. Pulled by the sun’s gravity, the object made a hairpin turn under our solar system. On Oct. 14, it passed closest to the Earth at a distance of about 15 million miles (24 million kilometers). It is now heading out of the solar system at 27 miles per second (44 kilometers per second). The object is speeding toward the constellation Pegasus.
Astronomers have determined the object was extra-solar because it is moving too fast to have fallen toward the sun from inside our solar system. Astronomers all over the world are studying A/2017 U1 to gain additional information. As more information comes in astronomers may learn more about the origins and possibly composition of the object.
Since this is the first extra-solar object to be discovered, rules for naming it will need to be established by the International Astronomical Union, so its name may change.
To see a graphic of the object’s orbit and to read the full NASA article, please go to https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/small-asteroid-or-comet-visits-from-beyond-the-solar-system.
You can find out more about how NASA finds, studies and tracks near-Earth objects by visiting https://www.nasa.gov/planetaeydefense.
THE NIGHT SKY
The International Space Station is visible as follows:
Mornings–Through Nov. 19.
Evenings–Nov. 25 through Oct. 17.
For the times of other events, go to www.calsky.com. You will need to register at this site and load your location to be able to get exact times. The University of Maine at Presque Isle is located at 68d00m7.8s west longitude and 46d40m45.6s north latitude.
To get a free sky chart, go to www.skymaps.com.
Sun and Planet Visibility
11/15/2017
06:34 Sunrise.
15:58 Sunset.
16:12–16:42 Mercury.
05:24–06:36 Venus.
03:12–06:00 Mars.
05:12–06:18 Jupiter.
16:30–17:48 Saturn.
12/01/2017
06:55 Sunrise.
15:46 Sunset.
16:18–16:48 Mercury.
06:12–06:54 Venus.
03:00–06:24 Mars.
04:30–06:42 Jupiter.
16:18–19:54 Saturn.
10/31 06:17 ISS passes 1.0 degrees from Alpha Leo (Regulus).
11/02 14:48 Venus 3.5 degrees from Alpha Virgo (Spica).
11/03 60th anniversary of the Sputnik 2 launch. First animal in space–a dog names Laika.
11/04 01:22 Full Moon.
11/05 04:06 ISS passes 1.3 degrees from the moon.
11/05 19:17 Moon at Perigee–closest to the Earth, 222,912 miles.
11/10 15:36 Last Quarter Moon.
11/11 05:24 ISS passes 1.5 degrees from Alpha Bootes (Arcturus).
11/12 04:33 ISS passes 1.2 degrees from Alpha Bootes (Arcturus).
11/12 17:11 Mercury 2.2 degrees from Alpha Scorpius (Antares).
11/13 03:24 Venus 0.25 degrees from Jupiter.
11/14 05:57 ISS passes 0.2 degrees from Gamma Orion (Bellatrix).
11/15 05:07 ISS passes 0.5 degrees from Alpha Canis Minor (Procyon).
11/16 40th anniversary of the release of “Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977).
11/17 05:00 Leonid Meteor Shower–9 meteors per hour.
11/17 11:00 Leonid Meteor Shower Maximum–10 meteors per hour.
11/18 05:00 Leonid Meteor Shower–7 meteors per hour.
11/18 06:42 New Moon.
11/19 20:49 Summer begins in the northern hemisphere of Mars.
11/21 14:03 Moon at Apogee–farthest from the Earth.
11/23 19:30 Mercury at greatest elongation east (22 degrees), visible in the evening sky.
11/26 12:02 First Quarter Moon.
11/26 18:37 ISS crosses the disk of the moon.
11/28 01:58 Mercury 3.1 degrees from Saturn.
11/28 04:12 Mercury at half phase.
11/29 18:47 Mars 3.1 degrees from Alpha Virgo (Spica).
12/03 10:47 Full Moon.
12/04 03:52 Moon at Perigee–closest to the Earth.
12/04 16:27 ISS passes 0.6 degrees from Alpha Lyra (Vega).
12/06 21:22 Mercury 1.2 degrees from Saturn.
12/09 06:06 Venus 5.0 degrees from Alpha Scorpius (Antares).
