Category: Astronomy

An Arizona photographer and a skydiver captured a rare image on November 8 that shows a human figure crossing the face of the sun. Photographer Andrew McCarthy and skydiver Gabriel Brown spent months planning the attempt, making six passes over the desert before securing the frame that later spread across social media. Their aim was to line up a freefalling skydiver with the rising sun and capture the moment through a solar telescope.

McCarthy, known for detailed images of the sun, had wondered whether a person could appear clearly in front of the bright disk without losing focus or contrast. Brown, an experienced skydiver, agreed to join the effort. They selected a site outside Phoenix where the terrain, the sun’s position, and the flight path could align.

The idea came earlier in the year after the pair made a skydive together. The final shot was later titled The Fall of Icarus.

We asked Andrew McCarthy about what went into creating this image. Here’s what he told us:

What inspired you to attempt a shot of a skydiver crossing the sun?

“My friend Gabriel Brown and I went skydiving together shortly after I released a photo of a different type of solar transit, which made us think of doing the shot.”

How did you plan the timing and alignment for the capture?

“The alignment was thanks to our pilot, Jim Hamberlin, who watched for the bloom created by the aircraft in sunlight on the ground and expertly guided it towards where I was on the ground.”

What gear and settings made this shot possible?

“This was shot using a telescope modified to see hydrogen-alpha light in a narrow enough bandpass to see the atmosphere of the sun. Exposures were short; I was shooting 1/1000 at 300 gain to properly expose with minimal motion blur.”

Did you coordinate with the skydiver, or was it based on prediction?

“Yes, this was highly planned and coordinated in real time via a 3-way call between myself, the pilot, and the skydiver.”

What was the biggest challenge during the shoot?

“Getting the alignment right was the biggest challenge in the moment. It took 6 passes where we got an attempt where the skydiver would pass through the narrow FOV of the telescope.”

What went through your mind when you saw you got the frame?

“I was almost stunned. I couldn’t believe we not only got the shot, but it was in focus and aligned.”

How much post-processing did the final image need?

“Similar to any hydrogen-alpha solar shot, the image was stacked for clarity and colored in post processing, as a monochrome camera was used.”

Why do you think this shot has taken off on social media?

“This is a hopeful image, one that displays the tenacious nature of humanity against the raw power of our star. It’s also unlike anything else out there, which I think helped make it popular.”

What do you hope people notice or feel when they look at it?

“I hope people realize that the sky is not the limit.”

What’s the next idea you’re excited to work on?

“I can’t really share yet, but let’s just say I hope it is as impactful as this one!”

This project shows how much can happen when creativity, skill, and a bit of boldness come together. Capturing a skydiver crossing the face of the sun isn’t just a technical achievement. It’s a reminder that there’s still plenty of room to chase ideas that feel impossible at first.

An amateur astronomer has discovered a new interstellar comet, designated C/2025 V1. Found just ten days before its closest approach to Earth, the comet was spotted by Gennadiy Borisov at his observatory in Crimea. On November 11, it passed about 103 million kilometers from Earth, well beyond any danger zone, but near enough for scientists to determine that it probably originated from beyond our solar system.

The same amateur observer found the first confirmed interstellar comet in 2019, making this a rare repeat discovery for a non-professional astronomer.

Borisov works from a small observatory near Nauchnyj using a 0.65-meter telescope. On November 2, he recorded a faint object moving across the star field. He reported it to the Minor Planet Center, which collects and verifies such detections. Within hours, observatories in other countries confirmed the sighting. Independent confirmation is required before a new comet receives a formal designation, and C/2025 V1 cleared that step quickly.

Tracking data shows the comet follows a hyperbolic orbit with an eccentricity of about 1.01. Objects that travel on these paths are not trapped by the Sun’s gravity. They enter the solar system, swing around the sun once, and leave for good.

That path makes astronomers confident this object came from interstellar space. Its calculated speed far from the Sun is about 2 kilometers per second. That is slower than the 26 kilometers per second measured for the object known as ‘Oumuamua in 2017, but still fast enough that it is not bound to the Sun.

This is Borisov’s second interstellar discovery. His earlier find, 2I/Borisov, flew through the solar system in 2019 with a clear tail and unusual chemical traces, including large amounts of carbon monoxide. C/2025 V1 appears fainter. Observers measure it at around magnitude 14.6, with only a small glow and no long visible tail. The comet will reach perihelion, its closest point to the Sun, on November 16 at about 0.46 astronomical units.

For anyone hoping to view it, astronomers say the comet sits in the constellation Virgo before sunrise. From London, it rises around 4:30 a.m. and climbs to more than 40 degrees above the horizon. A small telescope or sensitive camera can detect it, though city lights make viewing harder. Sky-mapping apps can help locate it near the star Spica.

Interstellar objects are uncommon. Only a small number have ever been confirmed. Because they formed around other stars, they may contain ices and dust that differ from comets native to this solar system.

Large telescopes, including Hubble and the Vera Rubin Observatory, will study the new object as long as it remains bright enough. Researchers hope the data will improve models for how comets form around other stars and how often these visitors reach our neighborhood.

For now, the comet is moving back toward deep space. It will fade over the next few weeks as it travels away from the Sun. Even so, the discovery gives astronomers another chance to study material that did not originate here, and it places Borisov in a rare group of observers who have found more than one interstellar traveler.

A team of researchers has shown that Google’s Gemini AI can identify real supernova alerts with high accuracy, even when it is given only a small number of training examples. The work involved scientists from Google Cloud and the University of Oxford, and the tests used real data from major sky surveys that search for exploding stars.

Astronomers rely on robotic telescopes that scan the night sky and send alerts when something brightens suddenly. A real supernova can help measure the universe’s expansion and show how heavy elements form. But the systems produce thousands of false alarms from camera faults, space debris, or passing aircraft. Human checks take time, and many real events are missed.

The researchers gave Gemini just 15 examples from each telescope survey. Each example included a current image, an older reference image, and a “difference” image used in astronomy to highlight changes. With simple written instructions, Gemini reached an accuracy of about 93 percent. Older tools needed millions of labeled images to reach similar results.

The tests covered surveys with very different views. Telescopes like Pan-STARRS produce sharp images with small pixels. Others, such as ATLAS, have much lower resolution. Objects appear larger or smaller depending on the camera. Gemini still found the same type of events and did not need special tuning for each system.

The model also explained how it made decisions. Instead of returning only “real” or “false,” it wrote short descriptions in plain language. It noted shapes, brightness, and time changes. Experts reviewed these notes and rated them highly for clarity. Astronomers say this level of detail helps them trust the results, especially when time is short.

The AI also offered a confidence score. When the score dropped, the result was often incorrect. Scientists used that signal to focus on the hardest cases. After adding a few more examples, accuracy climbed close to 97 percent. That process took minutes instead of days.

Researchers say the method will matter most in the next few years. The Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile will soon scan the sky every night and produce millions of alerts. Human teams cannot inspect all of them, and automatic filters will decide which targets get follow-up telescopes. Fast mistakes waste time that could be spent on real supernovae.

The same approach may work on other tasks, such as finding variable stars or spotting rare objects like gravitational lenses. Because the model needs only a small number of examples, it can adapt to new telescopes with new image styles. Scientists say this will help new space missions that begin collecting data without years of labeled training sets.

The team did not suggest that AI will replace human astronomers. Instead, they say it can handle early sorting and pass interesting cases to experts. For now, Gemini’s test shows that small training sets can handle a job once thought to require huge data.

China’s Tianwen-1 orbiter has captured rare images of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as it passed Mars in early October. Astronomers say the object, discovered on May 7, 2025, came from outside our solar system and released gas and dust as it moved closer to the Sun.

Tianwen-1 photographed the faint comet from about 30 million kilometers away, giving researchers an unusually close look at a visitor that does not belong to our planetary neighborhood.

The comet is only the third confirmed interstellar object ever seen near the Sun. The first was ‘Oumuamua in 2017, which behaved more like a fast-moving rock. The second was Borisov in 2019, which looked and acted like a normal comet. 3I/ATLAS fits the second category.

It contains frozen materials that turn into gas when heated. That process formed a thin cloud and tail, which is what astronomers expect from comets that form around distant stars.

Researchers are interested in objects like this because they may carry unaltered material from faraway solar systems. Studying that material helps scientists compare how planets form in different parts of the galaxy. Instead of sending spacecraft to other stars, these passing objects bring samples close enough for remote observation.

Tianwen-1 took the images with an instrument normally used to map the surface of Mars. Engineers spent weeks running models and tests to make sure the camera could pick up something so dim and distant. Individual images were later combined into an animation that shows the comet’s movement.

Capturing the comet was not easy. It measures roughly 5.6 kilometers across and was far from the orbiter. It was also moving fast. The comet traveled at about 58 kilometers per second, while Tianwen-1 moved at about 86 kilometers per second around Mars. The comet looked tens of thousands of times dimmer than the bright features on Mars, and the final images were grainy but clear enough to confirm the sighting.

Europe’s Mars Express and the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter also aimed their cameras at 3I/ATLAS on October 3. Each craft used imaging tools designed for Martian landscapes, not distant comets. Even so, all three missions succeeded. Their teams say these joint results were a rare example of multiple spacecraft observing an interstellar object at the same time.

Interstellar objects remain one of the biggest unanswered questions in astronomy. Experts want to know what they are made of and how common they are. Some may carry organic molecules, which are the building blocks of life. Others may be fragments from disrupted planets or frozen debris left over after stars formed.

Several missions will try to study similar visitors more directly. China’s Tianwen-2 mission plans to study a near-Earth asteroid and then a comet.

The European Space Agency’s Comet Interceptor will wait in space until a fast-moving comet or interstellar object comes close enough to chase. NASA and other agencies have also discussed sending craft designed to catch up with interstellar objects as soon as they are spotted.

If better detection systems pick up more of these objects earlier, scientists may be able to observe them at closer range. What seems rare today could become a routine part of space research in the future.

Source: China’s Tianwen-1 Mars orbiter captures image of interstellar object older than the solar system

A meteoroid strike on the slopes of Apollinaris Mons, a long-dormant volcano near Mars’ equator, sent dust cascading down its walls sometime between 2013 and 2017. Scientists confirmed the event after the European Space Agency’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter captured a December 24, 2023, image showing more than 100 new dark streaks. Researchers say the impact shook loose fine dust on the steep terrain and created sudden avalanches that are still visible today.

The orbiter used its main imaging camera to spot a small cluster of fresh craters at the base of the volcano. These craters appeared with pale patches where dust settled after sliding downhill. NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter later reviewed older images of the same area and confirmed that the streaks were not present a decade ago.

Slope streaks look like narrow, dark lines stretching down a hillside. Many can reach hundreds of meters long. They stand out against the lighter surface and slowly fade as new dust lands on them. They do not contain water, ice, or mud. They are simply dust slides on a very dry world.

Scientists rarely see slope streaks triggered by meteoroid impacts. A study published in Nature Communications examined millions of detections from 2006 to 2024. It found that only a tiny fraction come from impacts. Most form when wind pushes sand grains into dust layers, which then fall under their own weight. The team counted about 1.6 million unique streaks across the planet.

Dust and wind drive most of Mars’ surface changes today. When winds reach a certain strength, they can push sand grains into dust piles. The pressure lifts the dust and sends it downhill. This usually happens during the southern summer and autumn seasons, when storms are more common. The darkest streak clusters appear in dusty regions at low elevation where loose soil builds up.

The new streaks at Apollinaris Mons offer a look at an old volcano reacting to a modern impact. The mountain is about 200 kilometers wide and 5 kilometers tall. Although it has been inactive for a long time, dust continues to pile on its slopes. When the meteoroid hit the ground nearby, vibration and shock waves disturbed the buildup, exposing darker ground underneath.

These findings also tie into a long-running debate in Mars research. For years, some scientists suggested that slope streaks or similar features might involve small amounts of briny water. The new study supports a dry explanation. Researchers say they see no sign of liquid water in these streaks, even in regions where they appear very often.

Understanding how Mars moves dust around is important for future missions. Dust shapes the climate, affects solar power for landers, and changes the surface that rovers explore. The ExoMars orbiter continues to study gases and the surface to learn more about Mars’ past and present. As more high-resolution images come in, scientists expect to find more examples of changes on the planet’s surface happening in real time.

Source: Dust, sand and wind drive slope streaks on Mars

Astronomers working with citizen scientists in India have discovered three colossal cosmic rings glowing faintly in radio light, among them the most distant and powerful “Odd Radio Circle” ever seen. Using data from the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) telescope network, the team at the University of Mumbai and the RAD@home Astronomy Collaboratory identified the structures in skies billions of light-years away.

The findings, announced by the Royal Astronomical Society this month, may reveal how galaxies and black holes shaped the young universe and how star systems grew in its violent early years.​

The largest of the three, catalogued as RAD J131346.9+500320, sits almost 10 billion light-years away (redshift 0.94) and displays two immense, overlapping radio rings spanning around 800,000 light-years. This makes it both the most remote and the most energetic of its kind ever detected. Researchers say its radio power exceeds that of typical quasars, implying its formation from a galaxy-scale superwind driven by a central black hole.

The twin-ringed pattern suggests a pair of massive outflows rather than a single jet, supporting theories that galactic winds can blow giant plasma bubbles into space. The team believes these loops are relics from repeated jet activity, visible only at LOFAR’s low frequencies of 54–240 MHz.​

The second discovery, RAD J122622.6+640622, extends more than 900,000 light-years and lies inside a galaxy cluster. Its southern jet abruptly bends, inflating into a glowing ring, while its northern jet continues straight, likely a result of pressure from the cluster’s hot gas.

Scientists say the distortion shows how million-degree plasma sculpts radio jets over millions of years and traces turbulence inside clusters. The ring’s bright edge is thought to be energized by old plasma flowing back from the jet’s endpoint.​

The third case, RAD J142004.0+621715, shows a 440,000-light-year jet unraveling into filaments that form a partial loop. Its host galaxy, an edge-on disk, appears to be shedding gas under ram pressure as it sweeps through its cluster’s environment.

The ring lights up where this outflow collides with older plasma, an event that may have reaccelerated electrons and reignited lost radio emission. Together, these systems show how feedback from jets and winds shapes galaxies and redistributes matter between stars and intergalactic space.​

Odd Radio Circles first came to light in 2019 and remain among the rarest known structures in the cosmos. Only a dozen have been confirmed worldwide, each spanning hundreds of thousands of light-years (up to 20 times the diameter of the Milky Way).

Most radiate only at very low frequencies, meaning their electrons are ancient and far from any active galaxy nucleus. Many once seemed to be aftermaths of black hole mergers, but the new findings hint instead at “superwinds” from disk galaxies that repeatedly blow out plasma shells. The revised picture suggests these rings mark where cosmic energy escapes into space and cools over billions of years.​

What makes the current study stand out is who found them. The RAD@home Astronomy Collaboratory, based in Navi Mumbai, links hundreds of trained volunteer students, engineers, and amateurs who examine giant radio sky surveys from their home computers.

They compare images from projects like LOFAR’s Two-meter Sky Survey and India’s TGSS to look for structures that automated algorithms miss. While AI tools often overlook unusual shapes, human eyes can detect faint, irregular rings hidden in fuzzy data. Once confirmed, these finds feed back into machine-learning databases to help future telescopes classify complex radio sources faster.​

LOFAR, operated mainly from the Netherlands, is the world’s largest low-frequency radio telescope, with stations spread across Europe. Its sensitivity allows scientists to trace weak, ancient emissions that higher-frequency arrays cannot see.

The new research, published in the peer-reviewed Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, argues that ORCs serve as “time capsules” of galaxy evolution records of the feedback cycles that switch star formation on and off across billions of years.​

Dr. Ananda Hota, who leads RAD@home, says these rings provide rare windows into how black holes and galaxies grow together. The discovery extends ORC observations to nearly half the age of the universe, revealing that such structures have persisted since the era when galaxies first assembled.

Teams from Poland’s National Centre for Nuclear Research and several Indian universities contributed analysis and modeling. More powerful arrays, including the upcoming Square Kilometre Array, are expected to reveal thousands more such rings in the next decade.​

Citizen scientists have helped push back the cosmic horizon. By combining global telescope data and human pattern recognition, they have uncovered structures too subtle for computers and too vast for a single observatory. In doing so, they have opened a new chapter in understanding how long-dead galaxy outbursts still echo through space nearly 10 billion years later.

Source: RAD@home discovery of extragalactic radio rings and odd radio circles: clues to their origins