Hey space fans! 🚀 Astronomers are buzzing about a mysterious object, temporarily called A11pl3Z, which appears to be our third interstellar visitor. This cosmic wanderer might have journeyed all the way from another star system!
Right now, A11pl3Z is cruising near Jupiter—hundreds of millions of kilometers away—and heading in the direction of Mars. Don’t worry, it’s not coming close to the sun, so our planet remains safe.
The real question? Is it a rocky asteroid or an icy comet? Observations are still ongoing to crack the mystery. Astrophysicist Josep Trigo-Rodriguez from the Institute of Space Sciences near Barcelona notes that its unusual path and blazing speed scream “interstellar origin.” He even estimates the object could be around 40 kilometers across!
This discovery is sparking memories of earlier cosmic visitors like Oumuamua in 2017—named after the Hawaiian word for “scout”—and the comet-like 21/Borisov from 2019. In a fast-paced world where tech trends light up our feeds, tracking this celestial hitchhiker adds a dash of wonder to everyday life. Stay tuned for more updates on this space saga and keep looking up! 🌌
Reference(s):
Astronomers track object possibly from beyond the solar system
cgtn.com
