UPDATE! New Size Estimate For Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS, With Astronomer Colin Orion Chandler

 Hey, Space Placers!

From EarthSky.org:

You've probably heard by now about the new interstellar object - an object from another star system - hurtling toward our sun. Earthly astronomers have named it 3I/ATLAS. It's only the 3rd-known interstellar object to visit our solar system, following 1I/ ‘Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov. The object was originally estimated to have a diameter of 20 km (12 miles). But the size of 3I/ATLAS has now been re-estimated at around 10 km (6 miles). Hear from one of the astronomers who helped refine 3I/ ATLAS's size estimate - Colin Orion Chandler of the DiRAC Institute of the University of Washington - speaking with EarthSky's Deborah Byrd. Colin's recent paper on 3I/ATLAS is here: NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory Observations of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS (C/2025 N1) https://arxiv.org/pdf/2507.13409 Colin Orion Chandler: https://dirac.astro.washington.edu/pe... Deborah Byrd: https://earthsky.org/author/deborahbyrd/ EarthSky.org: https://earthsky.org/ Subscribe: https://subscribe.earthsky.org/ Store: https://earthskystore.org/ Team and About: https://earthsky.org/about/

Follow along using the transcript.

Sky Guy in VA

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