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NASA's Perseverance rover recently came across an unusually shaped rock that is about 31 inches wide, and almost an oddity on the Red Planet. The discovery was made in the Vernodden area of Jezero Crater, the Martian region the rover has been scanning since it landed there in 2021. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has named the "Phippsaksla" and believes it is likely a meteorite. What intrigued scientists back home about the rock was its sculpted, high-standing appearance. The other rocks in the area were flat and low-lying. The SuperCam instrument, which examines rocks and soils using a camera, laser and spectrometers, revealed that it had high iron and nickel content. These materials are typically associated with meteorites that form inside the core of larger asteroids. This was a hint that the rock wasn't always on Mars and came from someplace else in the solar system.Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/-most-compelling-evidence-to-date-nasa-s-perseverance-may-have-found-traces-of-life-on-the-red-planet-1757520653568">'Most compelling evidence to date...': NASA's Perseverance may have found traces of life on the red planet</a>&nbsp;<h2>Curiosity rover also found meteorites on Mars&nbsp;</h2>The rover is also checking the rock to ascertain whether it could be somehow linked to life on Mars that is believed to have existed on the planet billions of years ago. Similar meteorite-like rocks have been found on Mars in the past as well. The Curiosity rover found a few of these in the Gale crater, including &nbsp;“Lebanon” in 2014 and the “Cacao” meteorite in 2023. Opportunity and Spirit also came across iron-nickel meteorites while traversing the Red Planet. The NASA team will carry out more investigations to confirm that this rock is definitely a meteorite. If the results come back positive, Perseverance will be able to add its name to the list of Martian rovers that have found outer space visitors.Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/indian-scientists-observe-3i-atlas-behaving-like-a-typical-solar-system-comet-1763614445349">Indian scientists observe 3I/ATLAS: Behaving like a 'typical' solar system comet</a>&nbsp;In September, NASA announced that it had found the strongest evidence yet of past life on Mars. A rock sample named “Sapphire Canyon,” collected from a dried riverbed in the Jezero Crater, was found to be carrying chemical signatures that scientists say could be of biological origin. It was located in an area known as the “Cheyava Falls” in 2024, located in a geological area known as the Bright Angel formation. This site is believed to have been shaped by flowing water billions of years ago. “This is the most compelling evidence to date for potential ancient life on Mars,” NASA’s acting administrator Sean Duffy said at the time.&nbsp;

NASA's Perseverance rover spotted a strange-looking rock on Mars that didn't belong there. It ran some scans, and the data revealed that it didn't come from the Red Planet but some other far-off point in space. Is it a meteorite?

NASA's Perseverance rover recently came across an unusually shaped rock that is about 31 inches wide, and almost an oddity on the Red Planet. The discovery was made in the Vernodden area of Jezero Crater, the Martian region the rover has been scanning since it landed there in 2021. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has named the "Phippsaksla" and believes it is likely a meteorite. What intrigued scientists back home about the rock was its sculpted, high-standing appearance. The other rocks in the area were flat and low-lying. The SuperCam instrument, which examines rocks and soils using a camera, laser and spectrometers, revealed that it had high iron and nickel content. These materials are typically associated with meteorites that form inside the core of larger asteroids. This was a hint that the rock wasn't always on Mars and came from someplace else in the solar system. Also Read: 'Most compelling evidence to date...': NASA's Perseverance may have found traces of life on the red planet Curiosity rover also found meteorites on Mars The rover is also checking the rock to ascertain whether it could be somehow linked to life on Mars that is believed to have existed on the planet billions of years ago. Similar meteorite-like rocks have been found on Mars in the past as well. The Curiosity rover found a few of these in the Gale crater, including “Lebanon” in 2014 and the “Cacao” meteorite in 2023. Opportunity and Spirit also came across iron-nickel meteorites while traversing the Red Planet. The NASA team will carry out more investigations to confirm that this rock is definitely a meteorite. If the results come back positive, Perseverance will be able to add its name to the list of Martian rovers that have found outer space visitors. Also Read: Indian scientists observe 3I/ATLAS: Behaving like a 'typical' solar system comet In September, NASA announced that it had found the strongest evidence yet of past life on Mars. A rock sample named “Sapphire Canyon,” collected from a dried riverbed in the Jezero Crater, was found to be carrying chemical signatures that scientists say could be of biological origin. It was located in an area known as the “Cheyava Falls” in 2024, located in a geological area known as the Bright Angel formation. This site is believed to have been shaped by flowing water billions of years ago. “This is the most compelling evidence to date for potential ancient life on Mars,” NASA’s acting administrator Sean Duffy said at the time.

NASA's Perseverance rover spotted a strange-looking rock on Mars that didn't belong there. It ran some scans, and the data revealed that it didn't come from the Red Planet but some other far-off point in space. Is it a meteorite?

Aliens on Mars? NASA rover stumbles upon object that doesn't belong there

Scientists in Switzerland are triggering earthquakes deep inside the Alps in a bid to understand this natural occurrence. Researchers with the Fault Activation and Earthquake Rupture (FEAR) project want to learn about the immediate trigger of earthquakes and why some affect a larger portion of fault lines, causing greater destruction. With this aim in mind, the researchers are creating earthquakes artificially in controlled conditions. Domenico Giardini, professor of seismology and geodynamics at ETH Zürich, told Live Science that at the moment, geoscientists are only able to study these events after they happen. "What are the signs that nature is telling us?" Giardini said. "Invariably, they become clear after the quake, not before, so we are trying to understand much better how to see the signs."Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/13-000-years-ago-a-tribe-vanished-and-mammoths-died-when-a-cosmic-explosion-ripped-earth-1763624710450">13,000 years ago, a tribe vanished, and mammoths died - When a cosmic explosion ripped Earth</a> &nbsp;<h2>Why choose Alps for the earthquake experiment?</h2>The tremors are being created in a tunnel that was once built for the construction of a railway project. The Alps were the perfect location since these mountains are deeply faulted. Millions of years of tectonic activity have left a zigzag network of scars deep beneath these mountains. Small tremors are occasionally caused when the rocks on the sides of these faults slip. To create earthquakes, the team pumps water into one of these fault lines. The process is similar to what oil and gas companies do to reduce friction between the faults, where they inject wastewater from wells into faulted areas.&nbsp;Giardini said these earthquakes would have occurred during the lifetime of the Alps; it's just that they are choosing to trigger one when they want. The team has placed a huge network of seismometers and accelerometers on the fault to gauge how they move and note the readings when friction is reduced. They have successfully triggered hundreds of thousands of quakes till now, but only of magnitude zero. Notably, earthquakes can measure a magnitude of zero and even go down to negative numbers. In March, they plan to increase the magnitude to one. The next step for now is to inject hot water into the fault to see how temperature affects the evolution of an earthquake. This study will basically help learn beforehand the factors that trigger an earthquake of a particular magnitude and which faults are dangerous than the other.

Why are some earthquakes more destructive than others, and what is the immediate trigger of any tremor? Scientists are still trying to figure out the reason, and this has led a team to cause artificial earthquakes in Switzerland. 

Scientists in Switzerland are triggering earthquakes deep inside the Alps in a bid to understand this natural occurrence. Researchers with the Fault Activation and Earthquake Rupture (FEAR) project want to learn about the immediate trigger of earthquakes and why some affect a larger portion of fault lines, causing greater destruction. With this aim in mind, the researchers are creating earthquakes artificially in controlled conditions. Domenico Giardini, professor of seismology and geodynamics at ETH Zürich, told Live Science that at the moment, geoscientists are only able to study these events after they happen. "What are the signs that nature is telling us?" Giardini said. "Invariably, they become clear after the quake, not before, so we are trying to understand much better how to see the signs." Also Read: 13,000 years ago, a tribe vanished, and mammoths died - When a cosmic explosion ripped Earth Why choose Alps for the earthquake experiment? The tremors are being created in a tunnel that was once built for the construction of a railway project. The Alps were the perfect location since these mountains are deeply faulted. Millions of years of tectonic activity have left a zigzag network of scars deep beneath these mountains. Small tremors are occasionally caused when the rocks on the sides of these faults slip. To create earthquakes, the team pumps water into one of these fault lines. The process is similar to what oil and gas companies do to reduce friction between the faults, where they inject wastewater from wells into faulted areas. Giardini said these earthquakes would have occurred during the lifetime of the Alps; it's just that they are choosing to trigger one when they want. The team has placed a huge network of seismometers and accelerometers on the fault to gauge how they move and note the readings when friction is reduced. They have successfully triggered hundreds of thousands of quakes till now, but only of magnitude zero. Notably, earthquakes can measure a magnitude of zero and even go down to negative numbers. In March, they plan to increase the magnitude to one. The next step for now is to inject hot water into the fault to see how temperature affects the evolution of an earthquake. This study will basically help learn beforehand the factors that trigger an earthquake of a particular magnitude and which faults are dangerous than the other.

Why are some earthquakes more destructive than others, and what is the immediate trigger of any tremor? Scientists are still trying to figure out the reason, and this has led a team to cause artificial earthquakes in Switzerland.&nbsp;

Scientists are deliberately triggering earthquakes, all zero magnitude. Here's why

NASA released images of 3I/ATLAS on November 19, captured by not only Mars missions, but also other spacecraft that are currently journeying through space to reach their destinations. However, the best observations were to come from Mars since three of its objects observed the interstellar comet during its flyby on October 2 and 3. First and the most awaited images came from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which was best positioned to see the comet, and so captured one of the closest pictures. The image shows a blurry and fuzzy object in black and white, captured by the HiRISE camera aboard the orbiter. It was only about 30 million kilometres from 3I/ATLAS at the time.Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/3iatlas-images-live-streamed-from-italy-clearly-a-comet-astronomer-asserts-1763544958390">3I/ATLAS images live streamed from Italy: 'Clearly a comet', astronomer asserts</a> &nbsp;<h2>NASA asserted 3I/ATLAS is just a comet</h2>NASA officials also stressed the fact that the object is simply a comet and nothing else. The agency's associate administrator Amit Kshatriya declared, “3I/ATLAS is a comet.” Harvard scientist Avi Loeb has time and again claimed that 3I/ATLAS could be more than just a comet, citing the various ways in which it is acting differently than a regular comet. However, NASA has dismissed all such claims, stating that the reason for this is simply the nature of the comet as it is coming from another star system. Nicky Fox, the associate administrator for NASA's science mission directorate, said, "We certainly haven't seen any technosignatures [technological traces of intelligent life] or anything from it that would lead us to believe it was anything other than a comet."Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/3i-atlas-nasa-update-latest-hiding-pristine-material-and-is-no-longer-a-relic-of-its-pas-1762858620116">3I/ATLAS hiding pristine material, but is no longer a relic of its past — Study examines NASA data</a> &nbsp;https://www.wionews.com/videos/3i-atlas-nasa-releases-close-up-pictures-of-interstellar-comet-1763607186957/embed<h2>All NASA missions that spotted 3I/ATLAS</h2> NASA said that 12 NASA assets captured and processed imagery of the comet since it was first discovered on July 1, and several others will have opportunities to capture more images as it continues to travel through the solar system. Besides the MRO, the MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN) orbiter and the Perseverance rover caught a "faint glimpse" of the comet. NASA’s STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) captured images from September 11 to October 2, and the ESA (European Space Agency) and NASA mission SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) observed the comet from October 15 to 26. NASA’s PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) mission, launched earlier this year, saw the comet’s tail between September 20 and October 3.&nbsp;Two asteroid missions - the Psyche and Lucy spacecraft - also saw the comet and took pictures which will help reveal more about the comet, NASA said. While the Psyche mission is travelling to the metal-rich asteroid 16 Psyche, Lucy will explore Jupiter's Trojan asteroids.

3I/ATLAS and NASA: The American space agency released all the images of the interstellar comet that several of its spacecraft captured. This includes Mars missions, solar missions and two asteroid missions.   

NASA released images of 3I/ATLAS on November 19, captured by not only Mars missions, but also other spacecraft that are currently journeying through space to reach their destinations. However, the best observations were to come from Mars since three of its objects observed the interstellar comet during its flyby on October 2 and 3. First and the most awaited images came from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which was best positioned to see the comet, and so captured one of the closest pictures. The image shows a blurry and fuzzy object in black and white, captured by the HiRISE camera aboard the orbiter. It was only about 30 million kilometres from 3I/ATLAS at the time. Also Read: 3I/ATLAS images live streamed from Italy: 'Clearly a comet', astronomer asserts NASA asserted 3I/ATLAS is just a comet NASA officials also stressed the fact that the object is simply a comet and nothing else. The agency's associate administrator Amit Kshatriya declared, “3I/ATLAS is a comet.” Harvard scientist Avi Loeb has time and again claimed that 3I/ATLAS could be more than just a comet, citing the various ways in which it is acting differently than a regular comet. However, NASA has dismissed all such claims, stating that the reason for this is simply the nature of the comet as it is coming from another star system. Nicky Fox, the associate administrator for NASA's science mission directorate, said, "We certainly haven't seen any technosignatures [technological traces of intelligent life] or anything from it that would lead us to believe it was anything other than a comet." Also Read: 3I/ATLAS hiding pristine material, but is no longer a relic of its past — Study examines NASA data https://www.wionews.com/videos/3i-atlas-nasa-releases-close-up-pictures-of-interstellar-comet-1763607186957/embed All NASA missions that spotted 3I/ATLAS NASA said that 12 NASA assets captured and processed imagery of the comet since it was first discovered on July 1, and several others will have opportunities to capture more images as it continues to travel through the solar system. Besides the MRO, the MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN) orbiter and the Perseverance rover caught a "faint glimpse" of the comet. NASA’s STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) captured images from September 11 to October 2, and the ESA (European Space Agency) and NASA mission SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) observed the comet from October 15 to 26. NASA’s PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) mission, launched earlier this year, saw the comet’s tail between September 20 and October 3. Two asteroid missions - the Psyche and Lucy spacecraft - also saw the comet and took pictures which will help reveal more about the comet, NASA said. While the Psyche mission is travelling to the metal-rich asteroid 16 Psyche, Lucy will explore Jupiter's Trojan asteroids.

3I/ATLAS and NASA: The American space agency released all the images of the interstellar comet that several of its spacecraft captured. This includes NASA's Mars missions, solar missions and two asteroid missions. &nbsp;&nbsp;

3I/ATLAS spotted by 12 NASA spacecraft: What Mars, asteroid and solar missions saw

Comet C/2025 K1 ATLAS, dubbed the "other Atlas", is still breaking apart, with the latest images showing that it has possibly split into four pieces. Observations from the Virtual Telescope Project show that the golden comet is bearing the wrath of the radiation from the Sun, and pretty soon, a tail might be all that's left of it. The project shared the latest "sigma-clipping combination of 7, 60-second unfiltered exposures" on November 18. It tracked the main fragments of the nucleus that were observed and tracked a few days ago, "with hints of a possible fourth piece." Several other observations also captured the comet with a broken nucleus. The Astronomers Telegram reported on November 10 that K1/ATLAS had two bright outbursts between October 31 and November 4. The Hubble Space Telescope later captured four glowing fragments within the coma. These pieces were likely formed when the comet exploded, which is when it also became extremely bright.Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/-other-atlas-the-golden-comet-breaks-apart-as-it-zooms-towards-earth-1763098815096">'Other Atlas', the golden comet, breaks apart as it zooms towards Earth</a>&nbsp;If it continues to undergo such disintegration, K1/ATLAS might lose its nucleus completely, turning into a headless comet with only a tail. We have had such doomed comets before as well, with C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) being the most recent one.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>How to see ‘Other Atlas’ comet K1/ATLAS</h2>The comet is quite bright and is a 10th-magnitude object in the morning sky. To locate it, look towards Ursa Major at around 2 am. By November 20, it is expected to remain visible throughout the night.Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/-other-atlas-turns-golden-following-trip-to-the-sun-that-should-have-shredded-it-to-pieces-1762430013874">The 'other Atlas' comet that should have died near the Sun turns GOLDEN</a>&nbsp;<h2>When will the ‘Other Atlas’ come near Earth?</h2> Comet K1/ATLAS originated in the Oort Cloud, the most distant region of the solar system. It reached its closest point to the Sun on October 8, brushing past our star at a distance of 49 million kilometres. It wasn't expected to survive this encounter as the gravitational pull of the Sun was expected to tear it to shreds. But it made it out safely and is now zooming towards Earth. Recent observations showed it had broken into at least three pieces. Following its meeting with the Sun, it turned golden, a rare occurrence for comets. But now it is at risk of becoming all tail, no head. Astronomers will continue to monitor C/2025 K1 as it travels towards Earth. On November 25, it will be 60 million km away from Earth. The <a href="https://www.virtualtelescope.eu/2025/11/18/comet-c-2025-k1-atlas-fragmentation-new-image-with-likely-a-new-piece-and-animation-18-nov-2025/">Virtual Telescope Project</a> has planned a live stream on this day.

The 'Other Atlas' comet, C/2025 K1 ATLAS, has broken further and now possibly has four fragments, according to the latest observations. Experts say that if it continues to disintegrate, it might turn into a “doomed comet”, one that has a tail but no head.

Comet C/2025 K1 ATLAS, dubbed the "other Atlas", is still breaking apart, with the latest images showing that it has possibly split into four pieces. Observations from the Virtual Telescope Project show that the golden comet is bearing the wrath of the radiation from the Sun, and pretty soon, a tail might be all that's left of it. The project shared the latest "sigma-clipping combination of 7, 60-second unfiltered exposures" on November 18. It tracked the main fragments of the nucleus that were observed and tracked a few days ago, "with hints of a possible fourth piece." Several other observations also captured the comet with a broken nucleus. The Astronomers Telegram reported on November 10 that K1/ATLAS had two bright outbursts between October 31 and November 4. The Hubble Space Telescope later captured four glowing fragments within the coma. These pieces were likely formed when the comet exploded, which is when it also became extremely bright. Also Read: 'Other Atlas', the golden comet, breaks apart as it zooms towards Earth If it continues to undergo such disintegration, K1/ATLAS might lose its nucleus completely, turning into a headless comet with only a tail. We have had such doomed comets before as well, with C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) being the most recent one. How to see ‘Other Atlas’ comet K1/ATLAS The comet is quite bright and is a 10th-magnitude object in the morning sky. To locate it, look towards Ursa Major at around 2 am. By November 20, it is expected to remain visible throughout the night. Also Read: The 'other Atlas' comet that should have died near the Sun turns GOLDEN When will the ‘Other Atlas’ come near Earth? Comet K1/ATLAS originated in the Oort Cloud, the most distant region of the solar system. It reached its closest point to the Sun on October 8, brushing past our star at a distance of 49 million kilometres. It wasn't expected to survive this encounter as the gravitational pull of the Sun was expected to tear it to shreds. But it made it out safely and is now zooming towards Earth. Recent observations showed it had broken into at least three pieces. Following its meeting with the Sun, it turned golden, a rare occurrence for comets. But now it is at risk of becoming all tail, no head. Astronomers will continue to monitor C/2025 K1 as it travels towards Earth. On November 25, it will be 60 million km away from Earth. The Virtual Telescope Project has planned a live stream on this day.

The 'Other Atlas' comet, C/2025 K1 ATLAS, has broken further and now possibly has four fragments, according to the latest observations. Experts say that if it continues to disintegrate, it might turn into a “doomed comet”, one that has a tail but no head.

Headless comet? 'Other Atlas' could soon be all tail, no head as it zooms towards Earth

The Virtual Telescope Project live-streamed shots of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS on November 19. Gianluca Masi, an Italian astrophysicist and astronomer, shared real-time observations of the comet with his viewers. The images showed a bright object with a coma and a clear tail. The live stream lasted for about 40 minutes, with Masi detailing everything that has been observed about 3I/ATLAS. He stressed several times that it is clearly a comet and has been noted to be one ever since it was first discovered on July 1. "I am so happy that the Virtual Telescope Project is making history once again, bringing no less than such an exceptional object live to you," Masi said. He also shared an inverted image of the comet to make the tail clearer.&nbsp;He added that 3I/ATLAS is quite clearly visible now from Earth. It reached perihelion, its closest point to the Sun, on October 29 and has since continued to brighten. "It was clear from the beginning that this object was pretty special. It was moving pretty fast at the time of discovery. At the time, it was 670 million kilometres from the Sun, around the distance of Jupiter from the Sun. It was moving very fast, 61 km/sec," Masi said during the live stream.Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/nasa-to-release-3i-atlas-photos-in-a-live-event-on-this-date-1763435602833">NASA to release 3I/ATLAS photos in a live event on THIS date - ‘We were observing it almost the entire time’</a><h2>3I/ATLAS is clearly a comet, and nothing else, Masi said</h2>Masi reiterated that 3I/ATLAS is a comet and nothing else, quashing all speculation that it could be an alien spacecraft or something else. "The cometary nature was pretty clear after it was discovered. I fail to understand why any other kind of idea is spread so much despite the clear nature of this cometary object," he said. Notably, Harvard scientist Avi Loeb has pointed out several anomalies in 3I/ATLAS, stating that it is not behaving like a regular comet. He even claimed that it could be an alien mothership coming to probe Earth and the other planets in the solar system. Masi also talked about the anti-tail that 3I/ATLAS has, saying that such features are common on comets. So there is nothing odd about it, Masi said.Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/if-3i-atlas-was-to-impact-earth-where-would-it-crash-scientists-reveal-danger-zone-at-most-risk-from-interstellar-objects-1762925839245">Scientists reveal the ONE danger zone on Earth at most risk from interstellar objects such as 3I/ATLAS</a>&nbsp;Meanwhile, 3I/ATLAS has brightened and can easily be found in the morning sky using a telescope or binoculars. It currently has around 10th magnitude brightness. A photo taken on November 17 shows a classic blue-green coma and an ion tail, as shared by Sky and Telescope. "Now that the Moon has departed the morning sky, it's possible to glimpse its dim gas tail, which points to the northwest," amateur astronomer Bob King wrote.&nbsp;

3I/ATLAS live stream: Astronomer Gianluca Masi of the Virtual Telescope Project live-streamed images of the interstellar comet from Italy on November 19. He also asserted that 3I/ATLAS is a comet and nothing else, refuting claims that it could be a spacecraft.

The Virtual Telescope Project live-streamed shots of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS on November 19. Gianluca Masi, an Italian astrophysicist and astronomer, shared real-time observations of the comet with his viewers. The images showed a bright object with a coma and a clear tail. The live stream lasted for about 40 minutes, with Masi detailing everything that has been observed about 3I/ATLAS. He stressed several times that it is clearly a comet and has been noted to be one ever since it was first discovered on July 1. "I am so happy that the Virtual Telescope Project is making history once again, bringing no less than such an exceptional object live to you," Masi said. He also shared an inverted image of the comet to make the tail clearer. He added that 3I/ATLAS is quite clearly visible now from Earth. It reached perihelion, its closest point to the Sun, on October 29 and has since continued to brighten. "It was clear from the beginning that this object was pretty special. It was moving pretty fast at the time of discovery. At the time, it was 670 million kilometres from the Sun, around the distance of Jupiter from the Sun. It was moving very fast, 61 km/sec," Masi said during the live stream. Also Read: NASA to release 3I/ATLAS photos in a live event on THIS date - ‘We were observing it almost the entire time’ 3I/ATLAS is clearly a comet, and nothing else, Masi said Masi reiterated that 3I/ATLAS is a comet and nothing else, quashing all speculation that it could be an alien spacecraft or something else. "The cometary nature was pretty clear after it was discovered. I fail to understand why any other kind of idea is spread so much despite the clear nature of this cometary object," he said. Notably, Harvard scientist Avi Loeb has pointed out several anomalies in 3I/ATLAS, stating that it is not behaving like a regular comet. He even claimed that it could be an alien mothership coming to probe Earth and the other planets in the solar system. Masi also talked about the anti-tail that 3I/ATLAS has, saying that such features are common on comets. So there is nothing odd about it, Masi said. Also Read: Scientists reveal the ONE danger zone on Earth at most risk from interstellar objects such as 3I/ATLAS Meanwhile, 3I/ATLAS has brightened and can easily be found in the morning sky using a telescope or binoculars. It currently has around 10th magnitude brightness. A photo taken on November 17 shows a classic blue-green coma and an ion tail, as shared by Sky and Telescope. "Now that the Moon has departed the morning sky, it's possible to glimpse its dim gas tail, which points to the northwest," amateur astronomer Bob King wrote.

3I/ATLAS live stream: Astronomer Gianluca Masi of the Virtual Telescope Project live-streamed images of the interstellar comet from Italy on November 19. He also asserted that 3I/ATLAS is a comet and nothing else, refuting claims that it could be a spacecraft.

3I/ATLAS images live streamed from Italy: 'Clearly a comet', astronomer asserts

The Dubai Airshow 2025 is underway, and India's LCA Tejas is stealing the spotlight. But a video on social media showing water dripping from the belly of the aircraft sparked confusion and concern. Some people online even claimed it was an oil leak, raising doubts about the fighter jet's performance and reliability. The comments section filled up fast with questions like "Is Tejas faulty?" and "Why is it leaking?" Let me be very honest with you—those concerns are completely unnecessary. What people saw in that video is not a leak, not a defect, and definitely not oil. It's just plain water, and it's supposed to be there.&nbsp;Almost every aircraft in the world, whether it's a military fighter jet like Tejas or a commercial plane like an Airbus or Boeing, releases water during and after flight. This happens because of something called the Environmental Control System, or ECS for short. This system is responsible for keeping the inside of the aircraft cool, pressurized, and comfortable for the pilot and crew. And just like your home air conditioner drips water when it's running, aircraft do the same thing. In fact, if you don't see this moisture in certain situations, that could actually mean something is wrong. So the water dripping from Tejas is not a problem—it's proof that the cooling and pressurization system is working exactly as it should.&nbsp;Let me explain how this works in simple terms. Inside the cockpit and cabin of any aircraft, the air gets hot and humid. Why? Because people are breathing, which adds moisture to the air. Sweat also adds humidity. And all the electronic systems—radars, computers, displays—produce a lot of heat. Now, if you leave this warm, moist air as it is, the cockpit would become unbearably hot and uncomfortable. That's where the Environmental Control System comes in. It cools down this warm, moist air to make it breathable and comfortable. But here's the thing—when you cool warm, humid air, water droplets form. It's basic science, the same thing that happens in your home AC. The aircraft collects this water and drains it outside through small outlets under the fuselage. That's exactly what you saw in the Tejas video.&nbsp;Modern jet aircraft, including Tejas, use something called bleed air to power their environmental control systems. Bleed air is a small amount of hot, high-pressure air taken directly from the engine compressor. According to <a href="http://alpha.in/">alpha.in</a>, even though this air is extremely hot when it comes out of the engine, the aircraft's ECS cools it down using special heat exchangers before using it. This cooled air is then used for multiple purposes—pressurizing the cabin, controlling temperature, preventing ice from forming on wings, and even operating some hydraulic and pneumatic systems.But here's the catch—bleed air taken from the engine is way too hot and at extremely high pressure, so it cannot be used directly. The ECS first reduces the pressure, then cools the air using heat exchangers, and finally removes the moisture using a condenser. When this air cools down, the water vapour inside it turns into water droplets, just like in your home AC. This water is collected and released outside through drain outlets under the aircraft. That's the "leak" people saw in the viral video.&nbsp;So let's be clear—there is no oil leak, no defect, and no reason to doubt Tejas. What the video shows is completely normal and happens with every single aircraft flying today. The people who made those claims online either didn't understand basic aviation engineering or were just trying to spread negativity. Tejas is a highly capable, modern fighter jet built with advanced technology, and it has already proven itself in multiple airshows and operational scenarios.&nbsp;The real problem here is not with Tejas—it's with how quickly people jump to conclusions without understanding the facts. A simple water discharge became a viral conspiracy theory within hours. Before doubting our own achievements, maybe we should take a moment to learn how things actually work. Tejas is performing brilliantly at the Dubai Airshow, and India should be proud of what our engineers and scientists have built. That dripping water? It's just the aircraft doing its job perfectly.

The Tejas video showed water, not oil. It’s a normal ECS process, just like an AC dripping. The water proves Tejas’ cooling system works perfectly, not that the jet has a defect.

The Dubai Airshow 2025 is underway, and India's LCA Tejas is stealing the spotlight. But a video on social media showing water dripping from the belly of the aircraft sparked confusion and concern. Some people online even claimed it was an oil leak, raising doubts about the fighter jet's performance and reliability. The comments section filled up fast with questions like "Is Tejas faulty?" and "Why is it leaking?" Let me be very honest with you—those concerns are completely unnecessary. What people saw in that video is not a leak, not a defect, and definitely not oil. It's just plain water, and it's supposed to be there. Almost every aircraft in the world, whether it's a military fighter jet like Tejas or a commercial plane like an Airbus or Boeing, releases water during and after flight. This happens because of something called the Environmental Control System, or ECS for short. This system is responsible for keeping the inside of the aircraft cool, pressurized, and comfortable for the pilot and crew. And just like your home air conditioner drips water when it's running, aircraft do the same thing. In fact, if you don't see this moisture in certain situations, that could actually mean something is wrong. So the water dripping from Tejas is not a problem—it's proof that the cooling and pressurization system is working exactly as it should. Let me explain how this works in simple terms. Inside the cockpit and cabin of any aircraft, the air gets hot and humid. Why? Because people are breathing, which adds moisture to the air. Sweat also adds humidity. And all the electronic systems—radars, computers, displays—produce a lot of heat. Now, if you leave this warm, moist air as it is, the cockpit would become unbearably hot and uncomfortable. That's where the Environmental Control System comes in. It cools down this warm, moist air to make it breathable and comfortable. But here's the thing—when you cool warm, humid air, water droplets form. It's basic science, the same thing that happens in your home AC. The aircraft collects this water and drains it outside through small outlets under the fuselage. That's exactly what you saw in the Tejas video. Modern jet aircraft, including Tejas, use something called bleed air to power their environmental control systems. Bleed air is a small amount of hot, high-pressure air taken directly from the engine compressor. According to alpha.in, even though this air is extremely hot when it comes out of the engine, the aircraft's ECS cools it down using special heat exchangers before using it. This cooled air is then used for multiple purposes—pressurizing the cabin, controlling temperature, preventing ice from forming on wings, and even operating some hydraulic and pneumatic systems. But here's the catch—bleed air taken from the engine is way too hot and at extremely high pressure, so it cannot be used directly. The ECS first reduces the pressure, then cools the air using heat exchangers, and finally removes the moisture using a condenser. When this air cools down, the water vapour inside it turns into water droplets, just like in your home AC. This water is collected and released outside through drain outlets under the aircraft. That's the "leak" people saw in the viral video. So let's be clear—there is no oil leak, no defect, and no reason to doubt Tejas. What the video shows is completely normal and happens with every single aircraft flying today. The people who made those claims online either didn't understand basic aviation engineering or were just trying to spread negativity. Tejas is a highly capable, modern fighter jet built with advanced technology, and it has already proven itself in multiple airshows and operational scenarios. The real problem here is not with Tejas—it's with how quickly people jump to conclusions without understanding the facts. A simple water discharge became a viral conspiracy theory within hours. Before doubting our own achievements, maybe we should take a moment to learn how things actually work. Tejas is performing brilliantly at the Dubai Airshow, and India should be proud of what our engineers and scientists have built. That dripping water? It's just the aircraft doing its job perfectly.

The Tejas video showed water, not oil. It’s a normal ECS process, just like an AC dripping. The water proves Tejas’ cooling system works perfectly, not that the jet has a defect.

Viral Tejas 'oil leak' debunked: Why that dripping water is 100% normal aviation science

Our Sun wasn't born as a lone star and, in fact, had several more companions. This theory has been talked about time and again, but what we don't know is how long it stayed with its siblings before drifting away. A new study has tried to answer this question, along with how many other stars were born alongside our Sun billions of years ago. Scientists believe that the Sun collapsed out of a cloud of precursor gas and dust, and it was not alone, and in fact, was part of a litter. Despite being packed closely, they all moved on separate paths. However, they were destined to move away from each other. But in doing so, they made things tough for each other. Whenever two stars moved close to each other, their intense gravity severely disrupted their proto-planetary systems. The objects orbiting at the farthest points suffered the most, with some of them even being thrown out of the system. These events possibly left marks on the edges of the solar system.Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/nasa-to-release-3i-atlas-photos-in-a-live-event-on-this-date-1763435602833">NASA to release 3I/ATLAS photos in a live event on THIS date - ‘We were observing it almost the entire time’</a><h2>Did Sun face rough conditions while leaving its birthplace</h2>A team led by Amir Siraj of Princeton University tried to decode these scars to answer two questions: the number of stars born near the Sun and the amount of time the Sun spent in its birth cluster. For this, they specifically looked at the "distant sednoids", the nine objects that live at the most distant point from the Sun. The sednoids typically orbit beyond 400 au, but all of them stay on planes that are fairly aligned with the planets. This relatively tight distribution of inclinations led Siraj and his team to conclude that our Sun did not face too much of a rough time as it went about separating from the other stars.Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/scientists-suggest-passing-star-rattled-oort-cloud-sending-comets-storming-towards-early-earth-1763122276148">Scientists suggest passing star rattled Oort Cloud, sending comets storming towards early Earth</a>&nbsp;The team simulated many different close flybys and their influence on the distant sednoids, while capping the Sun's stay to be less than or equal to 5 billion years per cubic parsec. Assuming there were only 100 stars per cubic parsec, the scientists concluded that the Sun left the most dangerous part of the cluster within 50 million years. This conclusion led them to state that the sednoids reached their extreme orbits almost immediately after. If this were the case, then the latest finding on how long it took the Sun to leave its siblings becomes quite credible.&nbsp; However, it is not clear why they ended up at such extreme reaches of the solar system.

Our Sun was born from a cosmic cloud of gas and dust that also created other similar stars. But they all were hostile and slowly drifted apart. A study has revealed how long our Sun stayed with its siblings, and it was quite a short time in cosmic years.

Our Sun wasn't born as a lone star and, in fact, had several more companions. This theory has been talked about time and again, but what we don't know is how long it stayed with its siblings before drifting away. A new study has tried to answer this question, along with how many other stars were born alongside our Sun billions of years ago. Scientists believe that the Sun collapsed out of a cloud of precursor gas and dust, and it was not alone, and in fact, was part of a litter. Despite being packed closely, they all moved on separate paths. However, they were destined to move away from each other. But in doing so, they made things tough for each other. Whenever two stars moved close to each other, their intense gravity severely disrupted their proto-planetary systems. The objects orbiting at the farthest points suffered the most, with some of them even being thrown out of the system. These events possibly left marks on the edges of the solar system. Also Read: NASA to release 3I/ATLAS photos in a live event on THIS date - ‘We were observing it almost the entire time’ Did Sun face rough conditions while leaving its birthplace A team led by Amir Siraj of Princeton University tried to decode these scars to answer two questions: the number of stars born near the Sun and the amount of time the Sun spent in its birth cluster. For this, they specifically looked at the "distant sednoids", the nine objects that live at the most distant point from the Sun. The sednoids typically orbit beyond 400 au, but all of them stay on planes that are fairly aligned with the planets. This relatively tight distribution of inclinations led Siraj and his team to conclude that our Sun did not face too much of a rough time as it went about separating from the other stars. Also Read: Scientists suggest passing star rattled Oort Cloud, sending comets storming towards early Earth The team simulated many different close flybys and their influence on the distant sednoids, while capping the Sun's stay to be less than or equal to 5 billion years per cubic parsec. Assuming there were only 100 stars per cubic parsec, the scientists concluded that the Sun left the most dangerous part of the cluster within 50 million years. This conclusion led them to state that the sednoids reached their extreme orbits almost immediately after. If this were the case, then the latest finding on how long it took the Sun to leave its siblings becomes quite credible. However, it is not clear why they ended up at such extreme reaches of the solar system.

Our Sun was born from a cosmic cloud of gas and dust that also created other similar stars. But they all were hostile and slowly drifted apart. A study has revealed how long our Sun stayed with its siblings, and it was quite a short time in cosmic years.

Cosmic scars at the solar system’s edge reveal the Sun had siblings — but they didn't stay together for long

China seems to be in a bit of a pickle as three more of its astronauts are now stranded in space. The capsule that was supposed to bring the Shenzhou-21 mission crew back to Earth was used by the Shenzhou-20 crew since their vehicle was damaged by space debris. So now the next crew in line is left with no option but to extend its stay at the Tiangong space station. Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang of the Shenzhou-21 mission have been living onboard China's Tiangong space station since October 31. They were to take over from taikonauts Wang Jie, Chen Zhongrui and Chen Dong, who were supposed to return to Earth on November 5. However, their return was jeopardised when a piece of space junk reportedly hit their capsule. They were forced to spend more days on the space station until the Chinese space agency made arrangements for them.Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/nasa-to-release-3i-atlas-photos-in-a-live-event-on-this-date-1763435602833">NASA to release 3I/ATLAS photos in a live event on THIS date - ‘We were observing it almost the entire time’</a><h2>Tiangong has no return capsule right now</h2>The affected spacecraft was found to have a crack in the viewing port. So CNSA decided to have them board the capsule designated for the Shenzhou-21 crew, and brought them back on November 14. But that meant the next crew was also now stranded in space. Space News reported that the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) will send an empty replacement return capsule, dubbed Shenzhou-22, on November 24 for the new crew. However, there is no official confirmation on the same. Experts have raised concerns over the safety of the replacement crew who might be affected if any more space debris hits the Tiangong Space Station during this time period. In this scenario, they have no way to make a safe return to Earth in the absence of their original return capsule.&nbsp;The Shenzhou-21 crew is supposed to spend six months aboard the space station. But it is important to have a spacecraft at their behest in case of an emergency. The decision to return the Shenzhou-20 crew without having another return vehicle in place has triggered speculation that the Tiangong cannot support six taikonauts at once. However, the CNSA has previously refuted such concerns. The damaged Shenzhou-20 spacecraft will likely be detached from the station and deorbited into the Pacific Ocean once the new capsule reaches the Chinese space station.&nbsp;

China has three more taikonauts stranded in space after it brought back the Shenzhou-20 crew on the next crew's capsule. The Shenzhou-21 crew has no way to escape in case something else happens during their stay in space.

China seems to be in a bit of a pickle as three more of its astronauts are now stranded in space. The capsule that was supposed to bring the Shenzhou-21 mission crew back to Earth was used by the Shenzhou-20 crew since their vehicle was damaged by space debris. So now the next crew in line is left with no option but to extend its stay at the Tiangong space station. Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang of the Shenzhou-21 mission have been living onboard China's Tiangong space station since October 31. They were to take over from taikonauts Wang Jie, Chen Zhongrui and Chen Dong, who were supposed to return to Earth on November 5. However, their return was jeopardised when a piece of space junk reportedly hit their capsule. They were forced to spend more days on the space station until the Chinese space agency made arrangements for them. Also Read: NASA to release 3I/ATLAS photos in a live event on THIS date - ‘We were observing it almost the entire time’ Tiangong has no return capsule right now The affected spacecraft was found to have a crack in the viewing port. So CNSA decided to have them board the capsule designated for the Shenzhou-21 crew, and brought them back on November 14. But that meant the next crew was also now stranded in space. Space News reported that the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) will send an empty replacement return capsule, dubbed Shenzhou-22, on November 24 for the new crew. However, there is no official confirmation on the same. Experts have raised concerns over the safety of the replacement crew who might be affected if any more space debris hits the Tiangong Space Station during this time period. In this scenario, they have no way to make a safe return to Earth in the absence of their original return capsule. The Shenzhou-21 crew is supposed to spend six months aboard the space station. But it is important to have a spacecraft at their behest in case of an emergency. The decision to return the Shenzhou-20 crew without having another return vehicle in place has triggered speculation that the Tiangong cannot support six taikonauts at once. However, the CNSA has previously refuted such concerns. The damaged Shenzhou-20 spacecraft will likely be detached from the station and deorbited into the Pacific Ocean once the new capsule reaches the Chinese space station.

China has three more taikonauts stranded in space after it brought back the Shenzhou-20 crew on the next crew's capsule. The Shenzhou-21 crew has no way to escape in case something else happens during their stay in space.

Three more Chinese taikonauts stranded in space as previous crew used their return capsule

3I/ATLAS, the third interstellar object spotted in our solar system, continues to present signs that it is harbouring several mysteries, and it is more than what meets the eye (or telescopes). New images show it releasing jets, with at least two tails and one anti-tail. It started as a complex jet structure, with several astronomers around the world seeing the same thing. Scientists are now wondering what could be causing an anti-tail in 3I/ATLAS. Harvard scientist Avi Loeb has for the longest time talked about the anti-tail which telescopes saw during its earliest sighting. What is going on with the alien comet? Apart from this, the biggest news everyone is waiting for should come from NASA. Now that the government shutdown has ended, the space agency is expected to soon release photos of 3I/ATLAS it captured from Mars on October 2-3.

3I/ATLAS has jets shooting out in a strange pattern. There are tails and anti-tails, with every image released recently showing this complex structure. A typical comet should show only one tail, but the presence of these jets makes 3I/ATLAS mysterious and stands out from all the other comets.

Complex jet structure around 3I/ATLAS

The 12th anomaly, as per Loeb, is, "Its tightly collimated jets maintain orientation across a million kilometres in multiple directions relative to the Sun despite its measured rotation."

Orientation of jets in multiple directions

In July and August, scientists found that 3I/ATLAS was rotating every 16.16 hours. Now we have seen a network of jets around it, and both things together do not make sense, according to Avi Loeb. “These observed jets from 3I/ATLAS should have been smeared by the rotation,” he said. However, what we see are “tightly-collimated jets extending to distances larger than a million kilometres.” He asks, “How could these jets maintain their orientation if 3I/ATLAS is rotating every 16.16 hours?”

12th anomaly of 3I/ATLAS

NASA, the European Space Agency and China's space agency all have orbiters on Mars scanning the Red Planet for signs of past life. All of them are positioned at different places. When 3i/ATLAS flew by Mars at its closest on October 2-3, it was 30 million km away from our neighbour. The orbiter closest to it is likely to have captured the best photos. NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter was at the perfect point in space to get the best look at 3I/ATLAS.&nbsp;

Why did NASA orbiter get the best look at 3I/ATLAS?

Astronomers across the world are clicking pictures of 3I/ATLAS as it becomes visible from Earth. You can also see this exotic visitor using your binoculars or telescope. Here is a handy guide to locate it in the sky, courtesy of The Sky Live.<a href="https://theskylive.com/c2025n1-tracker">Track 3I/ATLAS here</a>

3I/ATLAS Live Position Tracker

NASA is expected to release pictures of 3I/ATLAS captured by its Mars orbiter soon. The government shutdown has ended, and we should soon be able to get a look at what the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter saw on October 2-3, during the interstellar comet's closest approach to the Red Planet.

World awaits 3I/ATLAS pictures from NASA

A typical comet should have one prominent tail. But 3I/ATLAS has two tails and one anti-tail, that is, one in the direction of the Sun. Scientists are trying to explain what could be causing this complex jet structure. Meanwhile, Avi Loeb thinks it is still possible that the jets are being caused by technological thrusters. Read the full explanation for <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/3i-atlas-mysterious-anti-tail-baffles-scientists-theories-offered-for-bizarre-structure-1763348354309">3I/ATLAS tails and the anti-tail here</a>.

3I/ATLAS tail and anti-tail

3I/ATLAS Live Updates: The interstellar comet is zooming through the solar system, with astronomers across the world getting a fresh look at it. Meanwhile, the most awaited picture is from NASA, which its orbiter captured on Mars.

3I/ATLAS, the third interstellar object spotted in our solar system, continues to present signs that it is harbouring several mysteries, and it is more than what meets the eye (or telescopes). New images show it releasing jets, with at least two tails and one anti-tail. It started as a complex jet structure, with several astronomers around the world seeing the same thing. Scientists are now wondering what could be causing an anti-tail in 3I/ATLAS. Harvard scientist Avi Loeb has for the longest time talked about the anti-tail which telescopes saw during its earliest sighting. What is going on with the alien comet? Apart from this, the biggest news everyone is waiting for should come from NASA. Now that the government shutdown has ended, the space agency is expected to soon release photos of 3I/ATLAS it captured from Mars on October 2-3.

3I/ATLAS Live Updates: The interstellar comet is zooming through the solar system, with astronomers across the world getting a fresh look at it. Meanwhile, the most awaited picture is from NASA, which its orbiter captured on Mars.

3I/ATLAS Live Tracker: World awaits NASA photos as comet develops strange anti-tail

Long ago, when humans were only just beginning to emerge, Earth might have been pounded by comets, an event possibly triggered by a passing star. This star was nowhere near our planet, and in fact, brushed past the Oort cloud about 2.5 million years ago. But this event stirred up the Oort Cloud, pushing out comets from this region like bullets, which then rained down on Earth. This has been proposed in a new study that will be published in the Nature journal. Researchers wrote that the nearby star HD7977 skimmed past the solar system right about the time humans were taking their place on Earth. This would have had an effect on the life on our planet. “When a star passes through the outskirts of the Solar system, it can gravitationally kick Oort cloud comets towards Earth and generate a major meteor shower that would significantly affect terrestrial life,” author Avi Loeb wrote.Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/rogue-giant-eight-times-bigger-than-jupiter-crashed-the-solar-party-making-some-planets-wonky-1763118236308">Rogue giant eight times bigger than Jupiter crashed the solar party, making some planets wonky</a>&nbsp;<h2>What is Oort Cloud?</h2>“Our calculations showed that this star passage likely repopulated the Inner Oort Cloud and potentially triggered a significant comet shower on Earth,” he added. The Oort Cloud is a hypothetical region that is believed to exist at the outskirts of our solar system. It is vast, extending anywhere between 2,000 AU to 100,000 times AU. One AU, or astronomical unit, is equal to the distance between the Earth and the Sun. Dutch astronomer Jan Oort was the first to suggest the existence of the Oort Cloud in 1950 as an explanation for long-period comets. It has never been actually observed because it is too far and dark.Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/-other-atlas-the-golden-comet-breaks-apart-as-it-zooms-towards-earth-1763098815096">'Other Atlas', the golden comet, breaks apart as it zooms towards Earth</a>&nbsp;<h2>A star shook up the Oort Cloud comets</h2>The Oort Cloud is also divided into two parts - Outer Oort Cloud (OOC) and Inner Oort Cloud (IOC). Loeb, who co-wrote the paper with Zhuoya Cao and Morgan MacLeod, states that HD7977 had something to do with the changing climate during the Pliocene-Pleistocene transition, when Earth started witnessing glacial-interglacial cycles. “The HD7977’s flyby may have caused an enhanced comet flux during the Pliocene-Pleistocene transition, which could plausibly be related to the environmental changes on Earth during this era,” Loeb wrote.&nbsp;The team also checked for craters that could be attributed to this comet shower and found some of them definitely had “something to do with the comet shower caused by HD 7977.” Loeb stated that while asteroids are believed to have created these craters, cometary bombardment is a more plausible scenario. He clarified that further geological studies are needed to confirm the potential role of the HD 7977 flyby during the Pliocene–Pleistocene transition.

A study has hypothesised that a cometary shower changed Earth's climate millions of years ago when humans were starting to take their place on the planet. A star likely jolted the Oort Cloud, sending the comets towards ys, which rained down on Earth.

Long ago, when humans were only just beginning to emerge, Earth might have been pounded by comets, an event possibly triggered by a passing star. This star was nowhere near our planet, and in fact, brushed past the Oort cloud about 2.5 million years ago. But this event stirred up the Oort Cloud, pushing out comets from this region like bullets, which then rained down on Earth. This has been proposed in a new study that will be published in the Nature journal. Researchers wrote that the nearby star HD7977 skimmed past the solar system right about the time humans were taking their place on Earth. This would have had an effect on the life on our planet. “When a star passes through the outskirts of the Solar system, it can gravitationally kick Oort cloud comets towards Earth and generate a major meteor shower that would significantly affect terrestrial life,” author Avi Loeb wrote. Also Read: Rogue giant eight times bigger than Jupiter crashed the solar party, making some planets wonky What is Oort Cloud? “Our calculations showed that this star passage likely repopulated the Inner Oort Cloud and potentially triggered a significant comet shower on Earth,” he added. The Oort Cloud is a hypothetical region that is believed to exist at the outskirts of our solar system. It is vast, extending anywhere between 2,000 AU to 100,000 times AU. One AU, or astronomical unit, is equal to the distance between the Earth and the Sun. Dutch astronomer Jan Oort was the first to suggest the existence of the Oort Cloud in 1950 as an explanation for long-period comets. It has never been actually observed because it is too far and dark. Also Read: 'Other Atlas', the golden comet, breaks apart as it zooms towards Earth A star shook up the Oort Cloud comets The Oort Cloud is also divided into two parts - Outer Oort Cloud (OOC) and Inner Oort Cloud (IOC). Loeb, who co-wrote the paper with Zhuoya Cao and Morgan MacLeod, states that HD7977 had something to do with the changing climate during the Pliocene-Pleistocene transition, when Earth started witnessing glacial-interglacial cycles. “The HD7977’s flyby may have caused an enhanced comet flux during the Pliocene-Pleistocene transition, which could plausibly be related to the environmental changes on Earth during this era,” Loeb wrote. The team also checked for craters that could be attributed to this comet shower and found some of them definitely had “something to do with the comet shower caused by HD 7977.” Loeb stated that while asteroids are believed to have created these craters, cometary bombardment is a more plausible scenario. He clarified that further geological studies are needed to confirm the potential role of the HD 7977 flyby during the Pliocene–Pleistocene transition.

A study has hypothesised that a cometary shower changed Earth's climate millions of years ago when humans were starting to take their place on the planet. A star likely jolted the Oort Cloud, sending the comets towards ys, which rained down on Earth.

Scientists suggest passing star rattled Oort Cloud, sending comets storming towards early Earth

Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin on Thursday (Nov 13) launched its New Glenn rocket, pulling off a stellar launch from Cape Canaveral. After days of waiting on shifting weather both above Florida and out in space, the company sent its New Glenn rocket into the sky with a pair of NASA spacecraft bound for Mars. What's more, a few minutes after the launch, it also achieved the landing of its booster, prompting the audience at Cape Canaveral to erupt into applause. Until now, only SpaceX had managed to bring back an orbital class booster in one piece.<h2>Blue Origin vs SpaceX</h2>Blue Origin's success comes as the company faces off Musk's SpaceX in an intensified rivalry, with the US space agency NASA recently opening up bids for its planned Moon mission.This was New Glenn’s second flight. The first reached orbit, but the booster was lost on descent. Thursday fixed that. A working reusable stage means lower costs and more frequent launches, something Blue Origin has been chasing for years.Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/-penny-for-your-thoughts-us-stops-minting-pennies-after-232-years-here-s-why-1763007463047">'Penny for your thoughts': US stops minting pennies after 232 years. Here's why</a><h2>A road paved with failures</h2>The road to launch was messy, reports AFP. Earlier on Sunday, the company attempted the launch, but the attempt fell apart because of bad weather. Before that, Wednesday's try was pushed back again thanks to a spike in solar activity that NASA feared might fry its instruments. Even on Thursday, a few unexplained glitches forced Blue Origin to hit pause more than once. But at 3:55 pm, the rocket lifted off in a clean arc and the mission was finally on its way.Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/bbc-apologises-to-trump-for-misleading-edit-as-1-billion-lawsuit-threat-looms-1763081091796">BBC apologises to Trump for misleading edit as $1 billion lawsuit threat looms</a>The 322-foot rocket now carries NASA’s ESCAPADE mission, twin spacecraft called Blue and Gold. Joseph Westlake, one of NASA’s heliophysicists, explained during the webcast that the pair will first find a "benign, safe parking orbit" and settle near Earth to gather space weather data. Then, when Earth and Mars line up just right in late 2026, they will sling themselves toward the Red Planet and arrive the following year. If missions like this work as planned, NASA could launch more Mars probes outside the usual tight alignment window that appears once every couple of years.

Blue Origin has nailed its New Glenn launch and booster landing, sending two NASA spacecraft on a path toward Mars. 

Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin on Thursday (Nov 13) launched its New Glenn rocket, pulling off a stellar launch from Cape Canaveral. After days of waiting on shifting weather both above Florida and out in space, the company sent its New Glenn rocket into the sky with a pair of NASA spacecraft bound for Mars. What's more, a few minutes after the launch, it also achieved the landing of its booster, prompting the audience at Cape Canaveral to erupt into applause. Until now, only SpaceX had managed to bring back an orbital class booster in one piece. Blue Origin vs SpaceX Blue Origin's success comes as the company faces off Musk's SpaceX in an intensified rivalry, with the US space agency NASA recently opening up bids for its planned Moon mission. This was New Glenn’s second flight. The first reached orbit, but the booster was lost on descent. Thursday fixed that. A working reusable stage means lower costs and more frequent launches, something Blue Origin has been chasing for years. Also read | 'Penny for your thoughts': US stops minting pennies after 232 years. Here's why A road paved with failures The road to launch was messy, reports AFP. Earlier on Sunday, the company attempted the launch, but the attempt fell apart because of bad weather. Before that, Wednesday's try was pushed back again thanks to a spike in solar activity that NASA feared might fry its instruments. Even on Thursday, a few unexplained glitches forced Blue Origin to hit pause more than once. But at 3:55 pm, the rocket lifted off in a clean arc and the mission was finally on its way. Also read | BBC apologises to Trump for misleading edit as $1 billion lawsuit threat looms The 322-foot rocket now carries NASA’s ESCAPADE mission, twin spacecraft called Blue and Gold. Joseph Westlake, one of NASA’s heliophysicists, explained during the webcast that the pair will first find a "benign, safe parking orbit" and settle near Earth to gather space weather data. Then, when Earth and Mars line up just right in late 2026, they will sling themselves toward the Red Planet and arrive the following year. If missions like this work as planned, NASA could launch more Mars probes outside the usual tight alignment window that appears once every couple of years.

Blue Origin has nailed its New Glenn launch and booster landing, sending two NASA spacecraft on a path toward Mars.&nbsp;

Blue Origin nails New Glenn launch, sends NASA’s Mars mission on its way

Comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS), dubbed the “other Atlas”, has broken up into several pieces. It was discovered in May by astronomers at the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) and reached perihelion on October 8. It was expected to be killed by our star, but observations showed that it survived. However, astronomer Gianluca Masi in Manciano, Italy, has now discovered that the comet has fragmented into several pieces. The gravitational force of the Sun stretched it to the limit, breaking it apart while letting it survive. "Several parts (sub-nuclei or clouds of debris) are visible, also a plume just below the leading (the first from the left) fragment," Masi, the founder of The Virtual Telescope Project, shared. It is called the “other Atlas” because right now, C/2025 N1 ATLAS, or 3I/ATLAS, is hogging all the limelight for being only the third interstellar visitor.Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/-other-atlas-turns-golden-following-trip-to-the-sun-that-should-have-shredded-it-to-pieces-1762430013874">The 'other Atlas' comet that should have died near the Sun turns GOLDEN</a>&nbsp;C/2025 K1 suddenly brightened around perihelion, changing it colour from green to golden, a rarity for comets. Astrophotographer Dan Bartlett took a photo of the comet from June Lake in California, with a distinct golden glow and a long ribbon-like tail visible. &nbsp;"This comet was not supposed to survive its October 8th perihelion, but it did," he said. It’s not clear why the comet turned golden, but some scientists believe it could be due to the relative lack of carbon-bearing molecules in the comet's coma. C/2025 K1 is now moving towards Earth, and will pass at its closest point on November 25, when it will be 60 million km away. It is expected to lose more matter till then. So we’ll have to wait and watch how it continues to change till then.&nbsp;<h2>C/2025 K1 turns into a golden ribbon</h2> Most comets turn green near the Sun because of either dicarbon or cyanide in their comas. "Devil comet" 12P/Pons-Brooks and C/2022 E3, also known as the "green comet", also had a greenish hue. But the “other Atlas” turned golden, and astronomer David Schleicher says that this could be because it lacks "carbon-bearing molecules, such as dicarbon, carbon monoxide and cyanide." Only two other comets are known to exhibit similar features, he says. However, he said, "we don't know exactly why" since it could have also been caused by the solar flyby or its relatively low ratio of gas to dust. &nbsp;

Comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS), or the “other Atlas”, has broken up into several pieces after perihelion. Astronomer Gianluca Masi shared pictures of the comet taken from Italy. It is now moving towards Earth and will be 60 million km at its closest point. 

Comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS), dubbed the “other Atlas”, has broken up into several pieces. It was discovered in May by astronomers at the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) and reached perihelion on October 8. It was expected to be killed by our star, but observations showed that it survived. However, astronomer Gianluca Masi in Manciano, Italy, has now discovered that the comet has fragmented into several pieces. The gravitational force of the Sun stretched it to the limit, breaking it apart while letting it survive. "Several parts (sub-nuclei or clouds of debris) are visible, also a plume just below the leading (the first from the left) fragment," Masi, the founder of The Virtual Telescope Project, shared. It is called the “other Atlas” because right now, C/2025 N1 ATLAS, or 3I/ATLAS, is hogging all the limelight for being only the third interstellar visitor. Also Read: The 'other Atlas' comet that should have died near the Sun turns GOLDEN C/2025 K1 suddenly brightened around perihelion, changing it colour from green to golden, a rarity for comets. Astrophotographer Dan Bartlett took a photo of the comet from June Lake in California, with a distinct golden glow and a long ribbon-like tail visible. "This comet was not supposed to survive its October 8th perihelion, but it did," he said. It’s not clear why the comet turned golden, but some scientists believe it could be due to the relative lack of carbon-bearing molecules in the comet's coma. C/2025 K1 is now moving towards Earth, and will pass at its closest point on November 25, when it will be 60 million km away. It is expected to lose more matter till then. So we’ll have to wait and watch how it continues to change till then. C/2025 K1 turns into a golden ribbon Most comets turn green near the Sun because of either dicarbon or cyanide in their comas. "Devil comet" 12P/Pons-Brooks and C/2022 E3, also known as the "green comet", also had a greenish hue. But the “other Atlas” turned golden, and astronomer David Schleicher says that this could be because it lacks "carbon-bearing molecules, such as dicarbon, carbon monoxide and cyanide." Only two other comets are known to exhibit similar features, he says. However, he said, "we don't know exactly why" since it could have also been caused by the solar flyby or its relatively low ratio of gas to dust.

Comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS), or the “other Atlas”, has broken up into several pieces after perihelion. Astronomer Gianluca Masi shared pictures of the comet taken from Italy. It is now moving towards Earth and will be 60 million km at its closest point.&nbsp;

'Other Atlas', the golden comet, breaks apart as it zooms towards Earth

Scientists at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) &nbsp;have captured the first moments of a dying star. It pointed the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile at supernova SN 2024ggi in April 2024 and saw an astonishing view for the very first time. Supernovas are nothing but a cosmic occurrence that happens after a star dies. While the star’s surface was undergoing an agonising end, ESA saw the shape of a supernova at its earliest, ephemeral stage. The finding was published in Science Advances on November 12. Yi Yang, an astronomer at Tsinghua University and co-author of the study, said in a statement, "The geometry of a supernova explosion provides fundamental information on stellar evolution and the physical processes leading to these cosmic fireworks."&nbsp;The paper states that the initial blast rendered an olive shape. When the material propagated outward and interacted with matter around the star, it flattened while maintaining the same axis of symmetry. What they saw wasn't exactly a colour-filled blast, but a reconstruction of its geometry from the polarisation of its light.&nbsp;Supernovas happen when a massive star, one much bigger than the Sun, runs out of fuel and eventually dies. Its core collapses and its outer mass falls inward. It then bounces outwards, releasing a huge amount of energy, which is what makes the supernova appear extremely bright. This "bounce shock" has remained a puzzle for decades, Yang wrote in the study. Supernova SN 2024ggi is located in the galaxy NGC 3621, 22 million light-years away. It was so massive that before turning into a supernova, it was a red supergiant star with a mass that was 12 to 15 times that of the Sun and a radius 500 times larger.&nbsp;Scientists at ESO were able to capture the short-lived “breakout” shape using a technique called spectropolarimetry. Lifan Wang, co-author of the study and an astronomer at Texas A&amp;M University, said, "The technique delivers information about the geometry of the explosion that other types of observation cannot provide."&nbsp; &nbsp;

The Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile saw the first moments of supernova SN 2024ggi 22 million light-years away. This helped them deduce what a supernova looks like right when it is first formed.

Scientists at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) have captured the first moments of a dying star. It pointed the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile at supernova SN 2024ggi in April 2024 and saw an astonishing view for the very first time. Supernovas are nothing but a cosmic occurrence that happens after a star dies. While the star’s surface was undergoing an agonising end, ESA saw the shape of a supernova at its earliest, ephemeral stage. The finding was published in Science Advances on November 12. Yi Yang, an astronomer at Tsinghua University and co-author of the study, said in a statement, "The geometry of a supernova explosion provides fundamental information on stellar evolution and the physical processes leading to these cosmic fireworks." The paper states that the initial blast rendered an olive shape. When the material propagated outward and interacted with matter around the star, it flattened while maintaining the same axis of symmetry. What they saw wasn't exactly a colour-filled blast, but a reconstruction of its geometry from the polarisation of its light. Supernovas happen when a massive star, one much bigger than the Sun, runs out of fuel and eventually dies. Its core collapses and its outer mass falls inward. It then bounces outwards, releasing a huge amount of energy, which is what makes the supernova appear extremely bright. This "bounce shock" has remained a puzzle for decades, Yang wrote in the study. Supernova SN 2024ggi is located in the galaxy NGC 3621, 22 million light-years away. It was so massive that before turning into a supernova, it was a red supergiant star with a mass that was 12 to 15 times that of the Sun and a radius 500 times larger. Scientists at ESO were able to capture the short-lived “breakout” shape using a technique called spectropolarimetry. Lifan Wang, co-author of the study and an astronomer at Texas A&M University, said, "The technique delivers information about the geometry of the explosion that other types of observation cannot provide."

The Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile saw the first moments of supernova SN 2024ggi 22 million light-years away. This helped them deduce what a supernova looks like right when it is first formed. However, our Sun won't turn into a supernova.

Scientists see first moments of a dying star as it turns into a supernova

When we think of dangerous explosives, we imagine military bunkers and high-security labs. But the bomb that ripped through Delhi's Red Fort area last Monday, killing ten innocent people, was likely made from something you can buy at any agricultural shop—a white, crystal-like fertiliser called ammonium nitrate. This isn't the first time, and tragically, it probably won't be the last.&nbsp;Mohammad Umar, a doctor who became a suicide bomber, carried out this attack. Think about that for a moment—someone trained to save lives chose to end them. He was linked to a terror group in Faridabad, and when police raided their hideout just hours before the blast, they found a shocking 2,900 kilograms of bomb-making materials. That's nearly three tonnes of potential death sitting in ordinary houses. Experts believe Umar's car carried about 60 to 70 kilograms of ammonium nitrate when it exploded. The blast was so powerful that investigators suspect he used a mixture called ANFO—Ammonium Nitrate Fuel Oil—which is exactly what it sounds like: fertiliser mixed with diesel.&nbsp;Here's what makes this situation deeply frustrating. ANFO is not some rare, exotic explosive that requires a secret formula. It's embarrassingly simple. Take ammonium nitrate, which farmers use every day to help crops grow, add fuel oil like diesel, and you have a powerful bomb. The ammonium nitrate provides oxygen, the fuel burns, and together they create hot gases that expand violently, causing massive destruction. Industries worldwide use ANFO legally for mining and construction because it's cheap and relatively safe to handle. But in the wrong hands, with the right trigger—a detonator or timer—it becomes a weapon of terror.

The real problem isn't just how deadly ANFO is, but how easily accessible its ingredients are. Walk into any agricultural supply shop and you can buy ammonium nitrate without raising eyebrows. Fill up diesel at any petrol pump. Carry these materials through the city, and nobody suspects a thing because they're everyday items. This ordinariness is precisely what makes them so dangerous. Security agencies struggle to monitor these materials because banning them would cripple farming and industry. It's a chemical with two faces—life-giver and life-taker.&nbsp;India has a painful experience with ammonium nitrate attacks. In 2010, the German Bakery blast in Pune killed eighteen people using a deadly cocktail of ANFO and military-grade RDX. The 2011 Mumbai serial blasts that killed over two dozen people used the same combination. Go back to 2006, and the horrific Mumbai train bombings that killed over 200 people also involved ammonium nitrate mixed with RDX. Each time, investigators found pressure cookers or containers packed with this fertiliser-turned-explosive. The pattern repeats itself with sickening regularity.&nbsp;Our government knows this. After the Mumbai attacks, strict rules were put in place under the Explosives Act. Anything containing more than 45 per cent ammonium nitrate is legally classified as an explosive. You need special licenses to manufacture it, permissions to use more than five kilograms, and you absolutely cannot store large quantities in populated areas. On paper, we're protected. In reality, the Faridabad seizure of 350 kilograms stored in residential houses shows how easily these rules are bypassed.&nbsp;What's haunting about the Red Fort investigation is what wasn't found. No wires, no timers, no metal fragments, no clear proof of a bomb device at the blast site. Some evidence was literally washed away when firefighters doused the flames. This absence of evidence doesn't mean there was no bomb—it might mean the bomb was so efficiently designed or so completely destroyed that it left almost nothing behind. Forensic teams are now combing areas beyond the immediate blast zone, hoping to find something definitive.&nbsp;The challenge we face is uncomfortable: how do you control a substance that millions of farmers need to grow food, that construction companies need to build infrastructure, yet terrorists need to cause carnage? You cannot simply ban ammonium nitrate—our agriculture depends on it. You cannot track every single bag sold across this vast country. The dual-use nature of this chemical creates an impossible security dilemma.&nbsp;As students preparing to enter a complex world, we must understand that terrorism often succeeds not through sophisticated weapons but through the exploitation of ordinary materials. The Red Fort bomber didn't need a nuclear reactor or a weapons factory. He needed a fertiliser shop and a fuel pump. This reality is both terrifying and important to acknowledge because the solution isn't just about stricter laws—it's about vigilance, awareness, and questioning suspicious activities in our communities.Ten families lost loved ones because something designed to help plants grow was twisted into an instrument of death. Until we find better ways to monitor dual-use materials without crippling legitimate industries, this tragedy will keep repeating itself. The explosive truth is that sometimes the most dangerous weapons aren't locked in arsenals—they're hiding in plain sight on our neighbourhood shelves.

The real problem isn't just how deadly ANFO is, but how easily accessible its ingredients are. Walk into any agricultural supply shop and you can buy ammonium nitrate without raising eyebrows. Fill up diesel at any petrol pump. 

When we think of dangerous explosives, we imagine military bunkers and high-security labs. But the bomb that ripped through Delhi's Red Fort area last Monday, killing ten innocent people, was likely made from something you can buy at any agricultural shop—a white, crystal-like fertiliser called ammonium nitrate. This isn't the first time, and tragically, it probably won't be the last. Mohammad Umar, a doctor who became a suicide bomber, carried out this attack. Think about that for a moment—someone trained to save lives chose to end them. He was linked to a terror group in Faridabad, and when police raided their hideout just hours before the blast, they found a shocking 2,900 kilograms of bomb-making materials. That's nearly three tonnes of potential death sitting in ordinary houses. Experts believe Umar's car carried about 60 to 70 kilograms of ammonium nitrate when it exploded. The blast was so powerful that investigators suspect he used a mixture called ANFO—Ammonium Nitrate Fuel Oil—which is exactly what it sounds like: fertiliser mixed with diesel. Here's what makes this situation deeply frustrating. ANFO is not some rare, exotic explosive that requires a secret formula. It's embarrassingly simple. Take ammonium nitrate, which farmers use every day to help crops grow, add fuel oil like diesel, and you have a powerful bomb. The ammonium nitrate provides oxygen, the fuel burns, and together they create hot gases that expand violently, causing massive destruction. Industries worldwide use ANFO legally for mining and construction because it's cheap and relatively safe to handle. But in the wrong hands, with the right trigger—a detonator or timer—it becomes a weapon of terror.

The real problem isn't just how deadly ANFO is, but how easily accessible its ingredients are. Walk into any agricultural supply shop and you can buy ammonium nitrate without raising eyebrows. Fill up diesel at any petrol pump.&nbsp;

Life-Giver, Life-Taker: The impossible security dilemma of Ammonium Nitrate

The Gujarat Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) nabbed three individuals with chemicals and weapons in a big anti-terror operation on Monday (November 10, 2025). In shocking details, the Gujarat ATS revealed that they were planning to carry out terrorist activities across the country. The key accused, Dr Ahmed Mohiuddin Syed from Telangana's Hyderabad, had turned his home into a laboratory to manufacture ricin, a highly toxic chemical, to carry out large-scale terror activities. Other arrested individuals include Azad Suleman Sheikh and Mohammad Suhail Salim Khan, both from Uttar Pradesh and Ahmedabad.&nbsp;It is considered one of the deadliest poisons. ATS also disclosed that the trio reportedly planned to extract ricin and use it to contaminate public water sources and temple prasad (food offerings) in Delhi, Ahmedabad, and Lucknow.<h3>What is ricin poison?</h3>Ricin is a highly potent toxin derived from the waste of castor beans processed to make castor oil. Although the toxicity of castor seeds was well known, ricin was first isolated in 1888 by German scientist Peter Hermann Stillmark. This chemical works by inhibiting protein synthesis inside cells, resulting in cell death and organ failure if the exposure amount is sufficient.<h3>What are the symptoms of ricin poisoning?</h3>Ricin irritates the airways and lungs when it is inhaled. People can feel its early symptoms within hours and including fever, chest tightness, nausea, cough, and difficulty in breathing.&nbsp;Further, fluid can accumulate in the lungs (pulmonary edema) when it progresses, making breathing increasingly difficult. It can also sometimes cause the skin to appear blue. In addition, this can also lead to low blood pressure, respiratory failure, and even death if exposure is severe and untreated.&nbsp;When it is consumed in large amounts can cause severe vomiting and diarrhoea, which may contain blood. As the body loses fluids, it can lead to extreme dehydration and a dangerous drop in blood pressure. Other symptoms may include hallucinations, seizures, and blood in the urine. In the days that follow, organ failure, particularly of the liver and kidneys, can occur, often proving fatal.&nbsp;As per the reports, it has been said that there is no antidote, vaccine or medicine which can counter ricin poisoning. However, treatment for it might lessen the effects of the poison.<h3>When has ricin poison been used in the past?</h3>There are several incidents in the past where ricin poison has been used. In 1978, Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov was assassinated in London after being pricked in the leg with a modified umbrella containing ricin. Three years later, CIA agent Boris Korczak survived an alleged ricin pellet attack, which was reportedly orchestrated by the Soviet KGB.&nbsp;In 2014, James Everett Dutschke, a resident of Mississippi, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for mailing ricin-laced letters to then–US President Barack Obama and other officials.

As per the reports, it has been said that there is no antidote, vaccine or medicine which can counter ricin poisoning. However, treatment for it might lessen the effects of the poison.

The Gujarat Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) nabbed three individuals with chemicals and weapons in a big anti-terror operation on Monday (November 10, 2025). In shocking details, the Gujarat ATS revealed that they were planning to carry out terrorist activities across the country. The key accused, Dr Ahmed Mohiuddin Syed from Telangana's Hyderabad, had turned his home into a laboratory to manufacture ricin, a highly toxic chemical, to carry out large-scale terror activities. Other arrested individuals include Azad Suleman Sheikh and Mohammad Suhail Salim Khan, both from Uttar Pradesh and Ahmedabad. It is considered one of the deadliest poisons. ATS also disclosed that the trio reportedly planned to extract ricin and use it to contaminate public water sources and temple prasad (food offerings) in Delhi, Ahmedabad, and Lucknow. What is ricin poison? Ricin is a highly potent toxin derived from the waste of castor beans processed to make castor oil. Although the toxicity of castor seeds was well known, ricin was first isolated in 1888 by German scientist Peter Hermann Stillmark. This chemical works by inhibiting protein synthesis inside cells, resulting in cell death and organ failure if the exposure amount is sufficient. What are the symptoms of ricin poisoning? Ricin irritates the airways and lungs when it is inhaled. People can feel its early symptoms within hours and including fever, chest tightness, nausea, cough, and difficulty in breathing. Further, fluid can accumulate in the lungs (pulmonary edema) when it progresses, making breathing increasingly difficult. It can also sometimes cause the skin to appear blue. In addition, this can also lead to low blood pressure, respiratory failure, and even death if exposure is severe and untreated. When it is consumed in large amounts can cause severe vomiting and diarrhoea, which may contain blood. As the body loses fluids, it can lead to extreme dehydration and a dangerous drop in blood pressure. Other symptoms may include hallucinations, seizures, and blood in the urine. In the days that follow, organ failure, particularly of the liver and kidneys, can occur, often proving fatal. As per the reports, it has been said that there is no antidote, vaccine or medicine which can counter ricin poisoning. However, treatment for it might lessen the effects of the poison. When has ricin poison been used in the past? There are several incidents in the past where ricin poison has been used. In 1978, Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov was assassinated in London after being pricked in the leg with a modified umbrella containing ricin. Three years later, CIA agent Boris Korczak survived an alleged ricin pellet attack, which was reportedly orchestrated by the Soviet KGB. In 2014, James Everett Dutschke, a resident of Mississippi, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for mailing ricin-laced letters to then–US President Barack Obama and other officials.

As per the reports, it has been said that there is no antidote, vaccine or medicine which can counter ricin poisoning. However, treatment for it might lessen the effects of the poison.

Ricin: The new bio-weapon on the block threatening global security—Know what makes this chemical so dangerous?

3I/ATLAS is only the third interstellar object seen in our solar system after Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov. It has remained a mystery since being first seen on July 1. Scientists have been trying to figure out its composition and why it behaves the way it does. Its trajectory has brought it close to Mars, the Sun and also later Jupiter. It will come near Earth in December, with the closest approach on December 19. Astronomers are eagerly waiting to take a closer look when it comes near our planet. Right now, it is believed to have exploded near the Sun. The complex jet structure and the sudden brightness indicate so; however, there is no confirmation of the same. Harvard scientist Avi Loeb has hypothesised that it could be an “alien mothership” coming to probe Earth. It could also release several mini probes. Meanwhile, NASA and other agencies say it is merely a comet, even if it is different from those seen in the solar system.

Harvard scientist Avi Loeb thinks that if 3I/ATLAS is a natural comet, it seems it would have exploded into 16 different parts. This would explain why it <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/nasa-data-shows-3i-atlas-suddenly-sped-up-changed-path-after-perihelion-1762427938689">brightened suddenly</a> and also the “<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/new-3i-atlas-image-shows-strange-sunward-jet-raising-further-questions-1762745044299">complex jet structure</a>” observed in the latest images. However, if this did not happen, then we should be ready to think that there could be more than meets the eye.

Did 3I/ATLAS explode near the Sun?

Prior to this study on 3I/ATLAS by a team of astronomers from Belgium and the USA, NASA explained, “The ratio measured for the amount of CO2 gas relative to H2O is among the highest ever observed in a solar system comet, demonstrating that the coma of 3I/ATLAS is very CO2-rich.” The agency said that this means that the interstellar comet was exposed to higher levels of radiation than comets from inside the solar system. It is also possible that it formed in a region of its original planetary disk where CO2 ice naturally freezes out from the gas.

What NASA said of the changes in 3I/ATLAS

If you wish to see 3I/ATLAS through your binoculars or telescope, here is a handy guide to locate it in the sky. It is now visible from Earth and presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see this interstellar visitor as it will soon leave to never return.<a href="https://theskylive.com/c2025n1-tracker">Track 3I/ATLAS here</a>

A study has claimed that the 3I/ATLAS is presenting evidence that Gyr‑scale galactic cosmic rays have altered the outer layers of the nucleus of the interstellar comet. The comet's surface has been processed, and it now has a face shaped by the radiation. This is proved by the James Webb Space Telescope Spectroscopy images and other observatories, as they show extreme enrichment of carbon dioxide (CO₂) compared to water and other anomalies.

Radiation has changed 3I/ATLAS and it is no longer a relic of the past

3I/ATLAS is anywhere between 7 and 14 billion years old. Scientists studying the interstellar visitor believe that billions of years of interstellar travel have meant that it has been bombarded with high‑energy cosmic rays, which have effectively erased its real self. It is now only a heavily altered shell of its former self.

3I/ATLAS is not what it used to be, scientists say

3I/ATLAS has been travelling for billions of years and is older than our solar system. Its long journey through the stars has supposedly left it with a battered face. The galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) have transformed its outer layers, scientists said. 

3I/ATLAS is only the third interstellar object seen in our solar system after Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov. It has remained a mystery since being first seen on July 1. Scientists have been trying to figure out its composition and why it behaves the way it does. Its trajectory has brought it close to Mars, the Sun and also later Jupiter. It will come near Earth in December, with the closest approach on December 19. Astronomers are eagerly waiting to take a closer look when it comes near our planet. Right now, it is believed to have exploded near the Sun. The complex jet structure and the sudden brightness indicate so; however, there is no confirmation of the same. Harvard scientist Avi Loeb has hypothesised that it could be an “alien mothership” coming to probe Earth. It could also release several mini probes. Meanwhile, NASA and other agencies say it is merely a comet, even if it is different from those seen in the solar system.

3I/ATLAS has been travelling for billions of years and is older than our solar system. Its long journey through the stars has supposedly left it with a battered face. The galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) have transformed its outer layers, scientists said.&nbsp;

3I/ATLAS Live Tracker: Did interstellar comet rupture into 16 pieces near the Sun?

From its primitive days of bartering, the financial industry has gone through a long and winding transformation process, to coins, then paper, and finally to today's up-to-the-minute technology. AI has surely implanted itself in the finance industry as well, wherever financial technology changes people's interaction with money. The technophile and finance-knowledgeable Adarsh Naidu is one person who has been ruminating about the topic of money and AI throughout his time.Adarsh, throughout his professional journey, has been a commissioner in the deployment of AI and machine learning at different globally renowned companies. Among the various benefits he has brought are the making of fraud detection systems, the providing of blockchain-based audit solutions, and the building of AI infrastructure that is recognised by both AWS and Google. Moreover, he has worked as an advisor by partnering with Fortune 500 corporations on the ethical use of AI.The numbers speak for the impact of his work: not only did Adarsh's association with AI-based models lead to a 40 per cent reduction in fraudulent transactions, but also, the customer dispute resolutions got automated by 70 per cent, saving the firm $10 million annually. Besides, the predictive analytics models, under his supervision, reached a 25 per cent enhancement in loan approval accuracy, thus supporting lenders in risk management and faster service provision to consumers.One of his major projects is the development of an AI-based fraud detection system that is capable of processing more than $50 billion in transactions annually. In addition, the development of a blockchain solution for instant and traceable international payment transfers was another important project of which later a global bank successfully implemented. Adarsh was also involved in the creation of a generative AI tool for compliance management, which later resulted in a 60 per cent decrease in the manual audits needed.

Adarsh, throughout his professional journey, has been a commissioner in the deployment of AI and machine learning at different globally renowned companies.

From its primitive days of bartering, the financial industry has gone through a long and winding transformation process, to coins, then paper, and finally to today's up-to-the-minute technology. AI has surely implanted itself in the finance industry as well, wherever financial technology changes people's interaction with money. The technophile and finance-knowledgeable Adarsh Naidu is one person who has been ruminating about the topic of money and AI throughout his time. Adarsh, throughout his professional journey, has been a commissioner in the deployment of AI and machine learning at different globally renowned companies. Among the various benefits he has brought are the making of fraud detection systems, the providing of blockchain-based audit solutions, and the building of AI infrastructure that is recognised by both AWS and Google. Moreover, he has worked as an advisor by partnering with Fortune 500 corporations on the ethical use of AI. The numbers speak for the impact of his work: not only did Adarsh's association with AI-based models lead to a 40 per cent reduction in fraudulent transactions, but also, the customer dispute resolutions got automated by 70 per cent, saving the firm $10 million annually. Besides, the predictive analytics models, under his supervision, reached a 25 per cent enhancement in loan approval accuracy, thus supporting lenders in risk management and faster service provision to consumers. One of his major projects is the development of an AI-based fraud detection system that is capable of processing more than $50 billion in transactions annually. In addition, the development of a blockchain solution for instant and traceable international payment transfers was another important project of which later a global bank successfully implemented. Adarsh was also involved in the creation of a generative AI tool for compliance management, which later resulted in a 60 per cent decrease in the manual audits needed.

Adarsh, throughout his professional journey, has been a commissioner in the deployment of AI and machine learning at different globally renowned companies.

Can AI be trusted with your money? The drive to implement smarter and safer financial technology using AI

Our solar system is believed to be centred around the Sun, with all the other planets revolving around it. The most fascinating aspect of the universe is that everything is in motion. The planets rotate and revolve, and the same goes for our Sun. It is in motion and not exactly at the centre of the solar system. It is also revolving around a mysterious object known as the barycenter. It is an invisible point in space where the mass of the sun and the planets evens out. Its gravity pulls everything towards it, the planets and the Sun, which means that our star also has an orbit. The barycenter is the point where the gravitational forces of two bodies in a system are balanced. It is created when two or more objects are joined together by the force of gravity. It is located near the object with the most mass. In our case, near the Sun since it is the heaviest body in our solar system, but not necessarily at its centre.Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/earth-s-nearest-body-hides-space-s-most-valuable-element-and-mining-missions-are-on-1762514083214">Earth’s nearest body hides space's most valuable element, and mining missions are on</a> &nbsp;<h2>The Sun wobbles, and this exposed the barycentre</h2>Our Sun often wobbles, and this is what revealed the existence of the barycentre. This happens when the barycenter moves because of the pull caused by heavier planets, such as Jupiter and Saturn. Their mass means they have the most pull on the Sun. So when they align in a certain way, they pull the barycentre outwards, causing the Sun to also get a little jiggly. NASA and other space agencies have observed this movement in the past, but better technology and more research have led to more clarity on the barycentre. This discovery proves a nearly 500-year-old theory wrong about the Sun being at the centre of the solar system.Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/scientists-shocked-to-learn-that-earth-s-electric-charges-are-flipped-details-1762512252294">Scientists shocked to learn that Earth's electric charges are flipped - Details</a> &nbsp;Until the year 1543, astronomers believed that Earth was at the centre of the solar system. Polish astronomer Copernicus changed that, proving in that year that the Sun was at the centre and all planets revolved around it. But the barycentre started revealing itself as complex technology developed. Something was making the Sun move, and it was the barycentre. This tug, exercised by heavier planets, is what reveals the existence of planets in other star systems. This information proves crucial as humans prepare to travel in space, landing on the Moon and Mars. The understanding of how even our solar system works in crucial for future space missions.&nbsp;

What is at the centre of the solar system? Apparently, it is not the Sun, but an invisible force that is pulling everything towards it. This point is what exerts a gravitational pull on the Sun and the planets. So we are all revolving around this point and not technically the Sun.

Our solar system is believed to be centred around the Sun, with all the other planets revolving around it. The most fascinating aspect of the universe is that everything is in motion. The planets rotate and revolve, and the same goes for our Sun. It is in motion and not exactly at the centre of the solar system. It is also revolving around a mysterious object known as the barycenter. It is an invisible point in space where the mass of the sun and the planets evens out. Its gravity pulls everything towards it, the planets and the Sun, which means that our star also has an orbit. The barycenter is the point where the gravitational forces of two bodies in a system are balanced. It is created when two or more objects are joined together by the force of gravity. It is located near the object with the most mass. In our case, near the Sun since it is the heaviest body in our solar system, but not necessarily at its centre. Also Read: Earth’s nearest body hides space's most valuable element, and mining missions are on The Sun wobbles, and this exposed the barycentre Our Sun often wobbles, and this is what revealed the existence of the barycentre. This happens when the barycenter moves because of the pull caused by heavier planets, such as Jupiter and Saturn. Their mass means they have the most pull on the Sun. So when they align in a certain way, they pull the barycentre outwards, causing the Sun to also get a little jiggly. NASA and other space agencies have observed this movement in the past, but better technology and more research have led to more clarity on the barycentre. This discovery proves a nearly 500-year-old theory wrong about the Sun being at the centre of the solar system. Also Read: Scientists shocked to learn that Earth's electric charges are flipped - Details Until the year 1543, astronomers believed that Earth was at the centre of the solar system. Polish astronomer Copernicus changed that, proving in that year that the Sun was at the centre and all planets revolved around it. But the barycentre started revealing itself as complex technology developed. Something was making the Sun move, and it was the barycentre. This tug, exercised by heavier planets, is what reveals the existence of planets in other star systems. This information proves crucial as humans prepare to travel in space, landing on the Moon and Mars. The understanding of how even our solar system works in crucial for future space missions.

What is at the centre of the solar system? Apparently, it is not the Sun, but an invisible force that is pulling everything towards it. This point is what exerts a gravitational pull on the Sun and the planets. So we are all revolving around this point and not technically the Sun.

What is at the centre of the solar system? Not the Sun, but an invisible force

Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is becoming more mysterious by the day. The first radio signal was detected recently originating from it. Now new photos show jets shooting out of 3I/ATLAS, baffling scientists. While there is a tail, albeit a weird one, there are also jets being released towards the Sun. A regular comet doesn't do this. Besides, 3I/ATLAS has displayed a lot of strange behaviour since being first observed in July. Its tail has been the biggest mystery, since it has hardly ever shown up in images. It also underwent strange changes near the Sun on October 29-30. 3I/ATLAS turned bluer than the Sun, became extremely bright and displayed non-gravitational acceleration. It also sped up suddenly and changed its path.

3I/ATLAS had no tail initially. In September, the Gemini Observatory saw one growing live. However, during its Mars flyby, the orbiters did not see a tail, only a bright coma. Since then, none of the images captured showed a tail. Now, the latest observation made on November 9 shows a tail, but not a smooth one like regular comets. It appears like fumes being released from the exhaust of a vehicle. Loeb thinks it could be gases being released by a technological machine.<figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn1.wionews.com/prod/wion/images/2025/20251110/image-1762765926402.png"></figure>

A disheveled tail appears on 3I/ATLAS

The problem is that none of the probes preparing to scan 3I/ATLAS would be able to study the jets shooting out of the interstellar comet. This is because of the length of the jets. Near Earth, it will be 269 million kilometres away, about 100 times larger than the extent of the jet structure. Particle probes on Earth-based satellites won't be able to capture particles from the jets. NASA’s Juno spacecraft, around Jupiter, will be 53 million kilometres away in March next year and won't be able to intercept the jets either.

None of the probes will be able to intercept the jets from 3I/ATLAS

Avi Loeb has been suspicious of 3I/ATLAS ever since it was discovered, citing several anomalies. Now the jets have made the case even more curious since there is not one regular tail, but also an anti-tail, a jet towards the Sun. He asked in his blog, “Is the network of jets associated with pockets of ice on the surface of a natural cometary nucleus, or are they coming from a set of jet thrusters used for navigation of a spacecraft?”

Could jets mean a technological spacecraft?

The complex jet structure was first seen in images released by M. Jäger, G. Rhemann and E. Prosperi. A large glowing halo can be seen extending out to half a million kilometres in the photos. In fact, there are at least 7 distinct jets, “some of which are anti-tails in the sunward direction.”&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn1.wionews.com/prod/wion/images/2025/20251110/image-1762753729199.png"></figure>

3I/ATLAS photo showing complex jet structure with at least '7 jets'

A South African observatory noticed a signal emanating from 3I/ATLAS on October 24. The MeerKAT radio telescope picked up radio absorption lines by hydroxyl radicals, namely OH molecules. It had tried to find signals on September 20 and 28, 2025, as well, but there was nothing. This is the first radio detection from the interstellar object since it was discovered on July 1.

First radio signal detected from 3I/ATLAS

New photos of 3I/ATLAS captured on November 9 show a jet towards the Sun and a longer tail. Calculating the length and other factors, Harvard scientist Avi Loeb has once again said the interstellar object likely has a mass of over 50 billion tons. An object with a diameter above 10 kilometres entering our solar system can only happen once per ten thousand years or longer, he said. Combining this with the “0.2% probability of the retrograde trajectory of 3I/ATLAS being aligned to within 5 degrees with the ecliptic plane” gives it a one in a hundred million chance of being a natural comet.

Avi Loeb flags extremely low chance 3I/ATLAS is a natural object

3I/ATLAS is displaying jets shooting out of it. A new photo shows a strange tail and a smaller anti-tail. Avi Loeb estimates that its current appearance indicates a mass of tens of billions of tons, which is vastly larger than 1I/ʻOumuamua.

Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is becoming more mysterious by the day. The first radio signal was detected recently originating from it. Now new photos show jets shooting out of 3I/ATLAS, baffling scientists. While there is a tail, albeit a weird one, there are also jets being released towards the Sun. A regular comet doesn't do this. Besides, 3I/ATLAS has displayed a lot of strange behaviour since being first observed in July. Its tail has been the biggest mystery, since it has hardly ever shown up in images. It also underwent strange changes near the Sun on October 29-30. 3I/ATLAS turned bluer than the Sun, became extremely bright and displayed non-gravitational acceleration. It also sped up suddenly and changed its path.

3I/ATLAS is displaying jets shooting out of it. A new photo shows a strange tail and a smaller anti-tail. Avi Loeb estimates that its current appearance indicates a mass of tens of billions of tons, which is vastly larger than 1I/ʻOumuamua.

3I/ATLAS Live Tracker: A frazzled tail appears on 3I/ATLAS, like fumes from an exhaust

Space exploration has always been bound by one limitation: fuel. Every rocket ever launched has depended on carrying vast amounts of propellant, which both enables and restricts its mission. The more fuel a spacecraft carries, the heavier it becomes, forcing engineers into a delicate balance between thrust and payload. This fundamental constraint has defined spaceflight since the early 20th century, when Konstantin Tsiolkovsky first derived the rocket equation. But a new wave of research suggests a future where spacecraft may not need to carry fuel at all. A comprehensive new review ton the arXiv preprint server explores several 'propellantless' propulsion systems that harness natural forces, potentially rewriting the rules of space travel.&nbsp;<h2>Solar sails: Riding on light itself</h2> Among the most mature of these technologies are solar sails, which use the pressure of sunlight to push spacecraft forward. The principle is simple yet powerful: photons from the Sun exert a minute but continuous force on a large, reflective sail. Over time, that steady push can accelerate a spacecraft to remarkable speeds. Japan’s IKAROS mission successfully demonstrated this technique in 2010, using sunlight alone to reach Venus. Solar sails require no fuel, allowing near-continuous acceleration, but their effectiveness fades with distance from the Sun as solar radiation weakens. Constructing and maintaining the vast, ultralight sails also presents formidable engineering challenges, especially for long-duration missions into deep space. The oldest and most proven propellantless technique is the gravity assist, in which spacecraft gain speed by passing close to a planet and stealing a fraction of its orbital momentum. NASA’s Voyager probes used this method to tour all four outer planets in a single mission. Gravity assists have the advantage of requiring no new materials or technology, only precise planning and timing. Their drawback lies in their dependence on planetary alignment: the right opportunities occur rarely, and once set, a trajectory can be difficult to adjust. Still, gravity assists remain a cornerstone of efficient mission design and a model for how natural forces can substitute for propellant.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>Magnetic and electric sails: Harnessing the solar wind</h2> Newer concepts aim to exploit the Sun’s constant outflow of charged particles, the solar wind. Magnetic sails would use vast superconducting loops to generate magnetic fields that deflect this plasma, producing thrust. Electric sails take a lighter approach, deploying long charged wires to repel solar wind protons. Both systems promise continuous acceleration without fuel and could outperform solar sails over long periods. Yet the technological hurdles are enormous: magnetic sails might require coils tens of kilometres wide, kept at cryogenic temperatures, while electric sails depend on ultra-thin, power-intensive tethers. Each of these methods offers a different path to escaping the tyranny of fuel. Gravity assists already work, solar sails are operational, and magnetic or electric sails may one day extend human reach far beyond the solar system.&nbsp;

The more fuel a spacecraft carries, the heavier it becomes, forcing engineers into a delicate balance between thrust and payload. 

Space exploration has always been bound by one limitation: fuel. Every rocket ever launched has depended on carrying vast amounts of propellant, which both enables and restricts its mission. The more fuel a spacecraft carries, the heavier it becomes, forcing engineers into a delicate balance between thrust and payload. This fundamental constraint has defined spaceflight since the early 20th century, when Konstantin Tsiolkovsky first derived the rocket equation. But a new wave of research suggests a future where spacecraft may not need to carry fuel at all. A comprehensive new review ton the arXiv preprint server explores several 'propellantless' propulsion systems that harness natural forces, potentially rewriting the rules of space travel. Solar sails: Riding on light itself Among the most mature of these technologies are solar sails, which use the pressure of sunlight to push spacecraft forward. The principle is simple yet powerful: photons from the Sun exert a minute but continuous force on a large, reflective sail. Over time, that steady push can accelerate a spacecraft to remarkable speeds. Japan’s IKAROS mission successfully demonstrated this technique in 2010, using sunlight alone to reach Venus. Solar sails require no fuel, allowing near-continuous acceleration, but their effectiveness fades with distance from the Sun as solar radiation weakens. Constructing and maintaining the vast, ultralight sails also presents formidable engineering challenges, especially for long-duration missions into deep space. The oldest and most proven propellantless technique is the gravity assist, in which spacecraft gain speed by passing close to a planet and stealing a fraction of its orbital momentum. NASA’s Voyager probes used this method to tour all four outer planets in a single mission. Gravity assists have the advantage of requiring no new materials or technology, only precise planning and timing. Their drawback lies in their dependence on planetary alignment: the right opportunities occur rarely, and once set, a trajectory can be difficult to adjust. Still, gravity assists remain a cornerstone of efficient mission design and a model for how natural forces can substitute for propellant. Magnetic and electric sails: Harnessing the solar wind Newer concepts aim to exploit the Sun’s constant outflow of charged particles, the solar wind. Magnetic sails would use vast superconducting loops to generate magnetic fields that deflect this plasma, producing thrust. Electric sails take a lighter approach, deploying long charged wires to repel solar wind protons. Both systems promise continuous acceleration without fuel and could outperform solar sails over long periods. Yet the technological hurdles are enormous: magnetic sails might require coils tens of kilometres wide, kept at cryogenic temperatures, while electric sails depend on ultra-thin, power-intensive tethers. Each of these methods offers a different path to escaping the tyranny of fuel. Gravity assists already work, solar sails are operational, and magnetic or electric sails may one day extend human reach far beyond the solar system.

The more fuel a spacecraft carries, the heavier it becomes, forcing engineers into a delicate balance between thrust and payload.&nbsp;

This new space technology could make interstellar travel possible without fuel

Nobel prize-winning scientist James Watson died, Thursday in East Northport, NY, on Long Island at the age of 97. His death was confirmed by his son Duncan on Friday. He was in a hospice, shifted earlier in the week from the hospital where he was undergoing treatment for an infection.&nbsp;<h2>Who was James Watson?</h2>James Watson shared the 1962 Nobel Prize with Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins for discovering the double helical structure of DNA in 1954. Watson was just 24 when the discovery was made. The breakthrough solved the mystery of how information was stored and how cells duplicate and pass it on. This was a genetic blueprint of life. It was the most important discovery of the 20th century and revolutionised molecular biology. In the following years, he authored a book, "The Double Helix" in 1968 and &nbsp;"Molecular Biology of the Gene" in 1965. He was also the first US director of the controversial National Centre for Human Genome Research project led by the National Institutes of Health. The human genome is made up of approximately 3 billion base pairs, denoted by chemical letters A, T, C, and G. The Human Genome Project was to sequence all the base pairs and store information in a publicly available database. However, Watson left the project in 1992 due to disagreements with the NIH Director Bernadine Healy over the policy of patenting the Human Genome sequence.Watson, later in life, drew widespread criticism for his racist remarks about the intelligence of Black People and in 2019, in a documentary, he said that the average IQ difference between black and white people was genetic. Following his remarks in the 2007 interview and the 2019 documentary, he was removed from all administrative roles and trusteeship in the Cold Spring Harbour Laboratory, a place where he had served since 1968.&nbsp;"His remarks on race and IQ in 2008 led the CSHL Board of Trustees to remove him from all administrative roles and his appointment as a CSHL Trustee," Cold Spring Harbour Laboratory wrote. "When he made similar statements in 2020, the board revoked his Emeritus status and severed all connections with him."&nbsp;&nbsp;

Nobel laureate James Watson, who co-discovered the double helical structure of DNA with Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins, has died at 97 in New York. The 1962 Nobel Prize winner revolutionised molecular biology but later faced controversy over racist remarks.

Nobel prize-winning scientist James Watson died, Thursday in East Northport, NY, on Long Island at the age of 97. His death was confirmed by his son Duncan on Friday. He was in a hospice, shifted earlier in the week from the hospital where he was undergoing treatment for an infection. Who was James Watson? James Watson shared the 1962 Nobel Prize with Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins for discovering the double helical structure of DNA in 1954. Watson was just 24 when the discovery was made. The breakthrough solved the mystery of how information was stored and how cells duplicate and pass it on. This was a genetic blueprint of life. It was the most important discovery of the 20th century and revolutionised molecular biology. In the following years, he authored a book, "The Double Helix" in 1968 and "Molecular Biology of the Gene" in 1965. He was also the first US director of the controversial National Centre for Human Genome Research project led by the National Institutes of Health. The human genome is made up of approximately 3 billion base pairs, denoted by chemical letters A, T, C, and G. The Human Genome Project was to sequence all the base pairs and store information in a publicly available database. However, Watson left the project in 1992 due to disagreements with the NIH Director Bernadine Healy over the policy of patenting the Human Genome sequence. Watson, later in life, drew widespread criticism for his racist remarks about the intelligence of Black People and in 2019, in a documentary, he said that the average IQ difference between black and white people was genetic. Following his remarks in the 2007 interview and the 2019 documentary, he was removed from all administrative roles and trusteeship in the Cold Spring Harbour Laboratory, a place where he had served since 1968. "His remarks on race and IQ in 2008 led the CSHL Board of Trustees to remove him from all administrative roles and his appointment as a CSHL Trustee," Cold Spring Harbour Laboratory wrote. "When he made similar statements in 2020, the board revoked his Emeritus status and severed all connections with him."

Nobel laureate James Watson, who co-discovered the double helical structure of DNA with Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins, has died at 97 in New York. The 1962 Nobel Prize winner revolutionised molecular biology but later faced controversy over racist remarks.

Who is James Watson? Scientist who made 'discovery of the century' dies at 97

NASA is once again scrambling to send humans to the Moon. Meanwhile. China is racing ahead and wants to get there first. The reason for this race is not just to colonise the Moon, but also to lay their hands on a very important element. Moon’s regolith, or the lunar soil, is rich in Helium-3, which is a light, non-radioactive isotope. Since it does not have a protective magnetic field, solar wind has successfully deposited the material on the Moon over billions of years. Humans have known about it and have found a significant use for Helium-3. According to the European Space Agency, this element can be used to create clean electricity using fusion reactors, which will be free from dangerous radioactive waste. The current nuclear fission technology is radioactive, but helium-3 would "not be radioactive and would not produce dangerous waste products."Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/scientists-shocked-to-learn-that-earth-s-electric-charges-are-flipped-details-1762512252294">Scientists shocked to learn that Earth's electric charges are flipped - Details</a>&nbsp;<h2>Race to the Moon - Who will get there first?</h2>But Earth has a dearth of helium-3, which is produced with the slow decay of tritium in nuclear stockpiles. Only about a few thousand litres of it are produced each year. However, the Moon is estimated to be a treasure trove of the element, and could hold an estimated million metric tons of it, scattered across the top layer of lunar soil. The idea was first proposed by Apollo geologist Harrison Schmidt decades ago. So now, the US, China, Russia, India and Europe are racing to put a mark on the Moon, since whoever reaches there first is likely to hold control over the resources. There are plans to build permanent bases on the lunar surface to exploit valuable metals. It will also be used to launch a mission to Mars and finally send humans to the Red Planet.Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/nasa-data-shows-3i-atlas-suddenly-sped-up-changed-path-after-perihelion-1762427938689">NASA database shows 3I/ATLAS suddenly sped up, changed path after perihelion: Report</a>&nbsp;Even though it is yet to become a reality, with NASA and China's plans fixed for by the end of this decade, agreements and contracts are already being entered here on Earth. ZME Science reported that in September 2025, Helsinki-based cryogenics firm Bluefors signed an agreement with startup Interlune to purchase up to 1,000 litres of lunar helium-3 every year. The deal is worth a whopping $300 million. Blue Origin has announced Project Oasis, under which it will map lunar resources such as water ice and helium-3 from orbit.&nbsp;But who will win this race? NASA's acting chief, Sean Duffy, said a few weeks ago that there is no way that China will get there first. Meanwhile, Beijing is determined to land humans on the Moon soon and explore the south pole, which is believed to contain water ice. No matter who gets there first, the one challenge that remains is helium-3 fusion. Gerald Kulcinski at the University of Wisconsin–Madison even built a small reactor to explore this, but no one has yet achieved a fusion reaction with a net energy gain for longer than a few minutes. &nbsp;

The race to the moon is not only influenced by the dream to put man on the moon again, but also because of the abundant resources it offers. One such element has long been proposed to produce clean fuel, and Earth does not make enough of it.

NASA is once again scrambling to send humans to the Moon. Meanwhile. China is racing ahead and wants to get there first. The reason for this race is not just to colonise the Moon, but also to lay their hands on a very important element. Moon’s regolith, or the lunar soil, is rich in Helium-3, which is a light, non-radioactive isotope. Since it does not have a protective magnetic field, solar wind has successfully deposited the material on the Moon over billions of years. Humans have known about it and have found a significant use for Helium-3. According to the European Space Agency, this element can be used to create clean electricity using fusion reactors, which will be free from dangerous radioactive waste. The current nuclear fission technology is radioactive, but helium-3 would "not be radioactive and would not produce dangerous waste products." Also Read: Scientists shocked to learn that Earth's electric charges are flipped - Details Race to the Moon - Who will get there first? But Earth has a dearth of helium-3, which is produced with the slow decay of tritium in nuclear stockpiles. Only about a few thousand litres of it are produced each year. However, the Moon is estimated to be a treasure trove of the element, and could hold an estimated million metric tons of it, scattered across the top layer of lunar soil. The idea was first proposed by Apollo geologist Harrison Schmidt decades ago. So now, the US, China, Russia, India and Europe are racing to put a mark on the Moon, since whoever reaches there first is likely to hold control over the resources. There are plans to build permanent bases on the lunar surface to exploit valuable metals. It will also be used to launch a mission to Mars and finally send humans to the Red Planet. Also Read: NASA database shows 3I/ATLAS suddenly sped up, changed path after perihelion: Report Even though it is yet to become a reality, with NASA and China's plans fixed for by the end of this decade, agreements and contracts are already being entered here on Earth. ZME Science reported that in September 2025, Helsinki-based cryogenics firm Bluefors signed an agreement with startup Interlune to purchase up to 1,000 litres of lunar helium-3 every year. The deal is worth a whopping $300 million. Blue Origin has announced Project Oasis, under which it will map lunar resources such as water ice and helium-3 from orbit. But who will win this race? NASA's acting chief, Sean Duffy, said a few weeks ago that there is no way that China will get there first. Meanwhile, Beijing is determined to land humans on the Moon soon and explore the south pole, which is believed to contain water ice. No matter who gets there first, the one challenge that remains is helium-3 fusion. Gerald Kulcinski at the University of Wisconsin–Madison even built a small reactor to explore this, but no one has yet achieved a fusion reaction with a net energy gain for longer than a few minutes.

The race to the moon is not only influenced by the dream to put man on the moon again, but also because of the abundant resources it offers. One such element has long been proposed to produce clean fuel, and Earth doesn't make enough of it.

Earth’s nearest body hides space's most valuable element, and mining missions are on

In space, Earth's magnetic field controls a certain area, which is known as the magnetosphere. Inside this lies an electric field that stretches from the morning side of Earth to the evening side. For the longest time, scientists have thought that the morning side was positively charged while it was negatively charged on the evening side. This is because electric forces move from positive to negative charges. However, a recent study has revealed that this is not the case, and vice versa is true. But this is also only applicable to the equatorial region, and the poles behave exactly as expected. This discovery was made by recent satellite measurements. Researchers from Kyoto University, Nagoya University, and Kyushu University then decided to study how the magnetosphere's electric characteristics are formed and sustained. Their findings were published in Science Daily.Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/twin-asteroids-smash-into-the-moon-triggering-burst-of-light-seen-from-earth-1762408482936">Twin asteroids smash into the Moon, triggering burst of light seen from Earth</a> &nbsp;<h2>Researchers created space conditions in a lab</h2>The team created the conditions in near-Earth space using large-scale magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations. They also emulated the charged solar particles by placing a steady stream of high-speed solar wind. Their results backed satellite data, showing that the morning side of the magnetosphere carries a negative charge while the opposite side is positive. Strangely, the pattern was not globally applicable. In the polar regions, the charge polarity follows the traditional idea that the morning side is positively charged, while the evening is negative. But it flipped near the equator. The discovery shows how starkly different the two zones of Earth are.&nbsp;Corresponding author Yusuke Ebihara of Kyoto University said, "In conventional theory, the charge polarity in the equatorial plane and above the polar regions should be the same. Why, then, do we see opposite polarities between these regions? This can actually be explained by the motion of plasma." He states that the magnetic energy from the sun moves clockwise on the dusk side of the planet and channels toward the poles after entering the magnetic field. "Meanwhile, Earth's magnetic field lines run from the Southern Hemisphere to the Northern Hemisphere -- upward near the equator and downward near the poles."&nbsp;"This opposing orientation between the magnetic field and plasma flow leads to the reversal in charge distribution between the regions. The electric force and charge distribution are both results, not causes, of plasma motion," Ebihara said. The finding changes how scientists interpret electrical activity in Earth's near-space environment.&nbsp;

Earth has an electric field that stretches from the morning side to the evening. Recent satellite data found something intriguing about it that has altered all the beliefs scientists have had about its charge. A team of Japanese scientists back the discovery. 

In space, Earth's magnetic field controls a certain area, which is known as the magnetosphere. Inside this lies an electric field that stretches from the morning side of Earth to the evening side. For the longest time, scientists have thought that the morning side was positively charged while it was negatively charged on the evening side. This is because electric forces move from positive to negative charges. However, a recent study has revealed that this is not the case, and vice versa is true. But this is also only applicable to the equatorial region, and the poles behave exactly as expected. This discovery was made by recent satellite measurements. Researchers from Kyoto University, Nagoya University, and Kyushu University then decided to study how the magnetosphere's electric characteristics are formed and sustained. Their findings were published in Science Daily. Also Read: Twin asteroids smash into the Moon, triggering burst of light seen from Earth Researchers created space conditions in a lab The team created the conditions in near-Earth space using large-scale magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations. They also emulated the charged solar particles by placing a steady stream of high-speed solar wind. Their results backed satellite data, showing that the morning side of the magnetosphere carries a negative charge while the opposite side is positive. Strangely, the pattern was not globally applicable. In the polar regions, the charge polarity follows the traditional idea that the morning side is positively charged, while the evening is negative. But it flipped near the equator. The discovery shows how starkly different the two zones of Earth are. Corresponding author Yusuke Ebihara of Kyoto University said, "In conventional theory, the charge polarity in the equatorial plane and above the polar regions should be the same. Why, then, do we see opposite polarities between these regions? This can actually be explained by the motion of plasma." He states that the magnetic energy from the sun moves clockwise on the dusk side of the planet and channels toward the poles after entering the magnetic field. "Meanwhile, Earth's magnetic field lines run from the Southern Hemisphere to the Northern Hemisphere -- upward near the equator and downward near the poles." "This opposing orientation between the magnetic field and plasma flow leads to the reversal in charge distribution between the regions. The electric force and charge distribution are both results, not causes, of plasma motion," Ebihara said. The finding changes how scientists interpret electrical activity in Earth's near-space environment.

Earth has an electric field that stretches from the morning side to the evening. Recent satellite data found something intriguing about it that has altered all the beliefs scientists have had about its charge. A team of Japanese scientists back the discovery.&nbsp;

Scientists shocked to learn that Earth's electric charges are flipped - Details

China reached out to NASA to inform them about an accident that could occur in space between their satellites. In a first, the Chinese National Space Agency told scientists at the American space agency that they will be making a manoeuvre to prevent a possible collision, according to a space sustainability official. Alvin Drew, director for NASA Space Sustainability, said during a plenary session at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Sydney that in the past, every time there was a conjunction, NASA sent a note to the Chinese saying, "We think we're going to run into you. You hold still, we'll manoeuvre around you." But on October 1, the opposite happened, and the Chinese informed them about a possible collision, Space.com reported. The Chinese National Space Agency reached out to us and said, “We see a conjunction amongst our satellites. We recommend you hold still. We'll do the manoeuvre,” and that's the first time that's ever happened, Drew said.&nbsp;China has been pursuing its space ambitions at a fast pace. It plans to land on the Moon and even retrieve samples from Mars. Its reaching out to NASA to inform them of an impending collision shows that it has reached a stage where its situational awareness has increased, and it can flag conjunctions and fix the problem.&nbsp;The number of satellites in orbit has been increasing consistently. SpaceX has been placing hundreds of commercial satellites as part of the Starlink constellation, while China is building the Guowang and Thousand Sails megaconstellations. In a 2022 space white paper, China outlined its plans for space development from 2021 to 2026. This growth has created the need for more satellite operators who can watch for satellites that are on a collision course and send alerts to avoid a catastrophic situation in space. Notably, space debris has become a massive problem in recent years, and such events can exacerbate the problem. China also stated that dealing with space junk is a priority and it is working to remove it.&nbsp;

Chinese satellite on course to collide with an American satellite prompted the former to take a step it had never taken before. NASA said it was a cause for celebration since this was the first time that China observed a conjunction and prevented it from happening. 

China reached out to NASA to inform them about an accident that could occur in space between their satellites. In a first, the Chinese National Space Agency told scientists at the American space agency that they will be making a manoeuvre to prevent a possible collision, according to a space sustainability official. Alvin Drew, director for NASA Space Sustainability, said during a plenary session at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Sydney that in the past, every time there was a conjunction, NASA sent a note to the Chinese saying, "We think we're going to run into you. You hold still, we'll manoeuvre around you." But on October 1, the opposite happened, and the Chinese informed them about a possible collision, Space.com reported. The Chinese National Space Agency reached out to us and said, “We see a conjunction amongst our satellites. We recommend you hold still. We'll do the manoeuvre,” and that's the first time that's ever happened, Drew said. China has been pursuing its space ambitions at a fast pace. It plans to land on the Moon and even retrieve samples from Mars. Its reaching out to NASA to inform them of an impending collision shows that it has reached a stage where its situational awareness has increased, and it can flag conjunctions and fix the problem. The number of satellites in orbit has been increasing consistently. SpaceX has been placing hundreds of commercial satellites as part of the Starlink constellation, while China is building the Guowang and Thousand Sails megaconstellations. In a 2022 space white paper, China outlined its plans for space development from 2021 to 2026. This growth has created the need for more satellite operators who can watch for satellites that are on a collision course and send alerts to avoid a catastrophic situation in space. Notably, space debris has become a massive problem in recent years, and such events can exacerbate the problem. China also stated that dealing with space junk is a priority and it is working to remove it.

Chinese satellite on course to collide with an American satellite prompted the former to take a step it had never taken before. NASA said it was a cause for celebration since this was the first time that China observed a conjunction and prevented it from happening.&nbsp;

China tells NASA, 'we are about to collide', for the first time ever — What it means

The Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) discovered a comet in May, which shouldn't have survived its trip to the Sun, but it is still around. C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) has turned into a spectacular golden ribbon following its encounter with the Sun. Dubbed the "other ATLAS", this comet has mainly been sidelined lately ever since 3I/ATLAS became the hottest commodity in space. While we were all busy wondering whether it was an "alien mothership", C/2025 K1 quietly made the trip to the Sun and only lost some of its portion. It made an extremely close encounter with our star, coming within 50 million kilometres on October 8. The gravitational pull of the Sun was expected to tear it to shreds, but that didn't happen. Meanwhile, on October 29, when 3I/ATLAS reached perihelion, astrophotographer Dan Bartlett took a photo of C/2025 K1 from June Lake in California, showing a distinct golden glow and a long tail. The solar winds seem to have boosted the tail to appear more flared.&nbsp;Bartlett talked to Spaceweather.com about his observation. "This comet was not supposed to survive its October 8th perihelion, but it did," he said. It is now displaying "a red/brown/golden colour rarely seen in comets." Two other photographers in California and in Arizona also made similar observations about the comet, Live Science reported. Comets can change colour due to the presence of various chemicals. Typically, they are white since the sunlight reflected by them contains all wavelengths of visible light.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/nasa-data-shows-3i-atlas-suddenly-sped-up-changed-path-after-perihelion-1762427938689">NASA data shows 3I/ATLAS suddenly sped up, changed path after perihelion</a> &nbsp;<h2>The green comets</h2>The infamous "Devil comet" 12P/Pons-Brooks and C/2022 E3, also known as the "green comet", turned green because of either dicarbon or cyanide in their comas. 3I/ATLAS turned blue, which could be because of carbon monoxide or ammonia. But comets don't typically turn golden, which is the case with C/2025 K1 (ATLAS).Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/live-blog-3i-atlas-live-tracker-where-is-3i-atlas-how-far-from-earth-how-to-locate-it-1762410913806">3I/ATLAS Live Tracker: China releases image of 3I/ATLAS taken by Tianwen-1 Mars Orbiter</a> &nbsp;<h2>Why did C/2025 K1 become golden?</h2>Astronomer David Schleicher says that the comet lacks "carbon-bearing molecules, such as dicarbon, carbon monoxide and cyanide." Only two other comets are known to exhibit similar features, he says. He told Spaceweather.com that this absence has likely made it golden, although &nbsp;"we don't know exactly why" since it could have also been caused by the solar flyby or its relatively low ratio of gas to dust.Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/comet-fragment-travelling-at-81-000-km-hr-explodes-over-portugal-a-second-one-recorded-nearby-1762333330392">Comet fragment travelling at 81,000 km/hr explodes over Portugal, a second one recorded nearby</a> &nbsp;&nbsp;C/2025 K1 has brightened to a magnitude of 9, but can't be seen with the naked eye. You will need a good pair of binoculars or a telescope to view the comet. Look towards the constellations Virgo and Leo in the eastern sky, and you can locate it somewhere in the middle. &nbsp;It will reach its closest point to Earth on November 25. Right now, it can be best viewed shortly before sunrise, according to Spaceweather.com.

C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) has turned golden, uncommon for comets. It was not supposed to survive its trip to the Sun, but somehow it did. However, the close encounter with our star seemed to have changed it, turning it into a golden ribbon.

The Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) discovered a comet in May, which shouldn't have survived its trip to the Sun, but it is still around. C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) has turned into a spectacular golden ribbon following its encounter with the Sun. Dubbed the "other ATLAS", this comet has mainly been sidelined lately ever since 3I/ATLAS became the hottest commodity in space. While we were all busy wondering whether it was an "alien mothership", C/2025 K1 quietly made the trip to the Sun and only lost some of its portion. It made an extremely close encounter with our star, coming within 50 million kilometres on October 8. The gravitational pull of the Sun was expected to tear it to shreds, but that didn't happen. Meanwhile, on October 29, when 3I/ATLAS reached perihelion, astrophotographer Dan Bartlett took a photo of C/2025 K1 from June Lake in California, showing a distinct golden glow and a long tail. The solar winds seem to have boosted the tail to appear more flared. Bartlett talked to Spaceweather.com about his observation. "This comet was not supposed to survive its October 8th perihelion, but it did," he said. It is now displaying "a red/brown/golden colour rarely seen in comets." Two other photographers in California and in Arizona also made similar observations about the comet, Live Science reported. Comets can change colour due to the presence of various chemicals. Typically, they are white since the sunlight reflected by them contains all wavelengths of visible light. Also Read: NASA data shows 3I/ATLAS suddenly sped up, changed path after perihelion The green comets The infamous "Devil comet" 12P/Pons-Brooks and C/2022 E3, also known as the "green comet", turned green because of either dicarbon or cyanide in their comas. 3I/ATLAS turned blue, which could be because of carbon monoxide or ammonia. But comets don't typically turn golden, which is the case with C/2025 K1 (ATLAS). Also Read: 3I/ATLAS Live Tracker: China releases image of 3I/ATLAS taken by Tianwen-1 Mars Orbiter Why did C/2025 K1 become golden? Astronomer David Schleicher says that the comet lacks "carbon-bearing molecules, such as dicarbon, carbon monoxide and cyanide." Only two other comets are known to exhibit similar features, he says. He told Spaceweather.com that this absence has likely made it golden, although "we don't know exactly why" since it could have also been caused by the solar flyby or its relatively low ratio of gas to dust. Also Read: Comet fragment travelling at 81,000 km/hr explodes over Portugal, a second one recorded nearby C/2025 K1 has brightened to a magnitude of 9, but can't be seen with the naked eye. You will need a good pair of binoculars or a telescope to view the comet. Look towards the constellations Virgo and Leo in the eastern sky, and you can locate it somewhere in the middle. It will reach its closest point to Earth on November 25. Right now, it can be best viewed shortly before sunrise, according to Spaceweather.com.

C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) has turned golden, uncommon for comets. It was not supposed to survive its trip to the Sun, but somehow it did. However, the close encounter with our star seemed to have changed it, turning it into a golden ribbon.

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