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 | | Artist's concept of 'Oumuamua, whose actual appearance is unknown. This illustration is based on the limited observations available. What was 'Oumuamua? We know it entered our solar system - swept near our sun on September 9, 2017 - then headed back to interstellar space again. Astronomers are still trying to piece its story together. Image via ESO/M. Kornmesser. | | |
| Was 'Oumuamua a cosmic dust bunny? | | | When astronomers first spied 'Oumuamua - in the fall of 2017 - they weren't sure if it was one of our solar system's asteroids or comets ... or something else. It turned out to be the 1st-known interstellar object, from a solar system beyond our own. It sped through our solar system and disappeared from view of the most powerful earthly telescopes around January 2018. But theories about its odd shape and behavior continue to rage. Some have said it was an unusually long asteroid. Others have proposed an extraterrestrial spacecraft. Most astronomers eventually settled on its being either an asteroid or comet from another solar system, albeit a weird one. Now there's a new idea. 'Oumuamua might be something never seen before. Read more. | | | | | | | | What we're reading From the New York Times … Jupiter’s Great Red Spot isn’t dead yet | | | Over this past year, Jupiter's Great Red Spot - a giant storm in the planet's atmosphere, seen through earthly telescopes for more than 300 years - has shown signs of breaking apart. Many wondered if the beloved Spot would disintegrate. But Philip S. Marcus, a professor of fluid mechanics at the University of California, Berkeley, said Monday during a news conference in Seattle: “We beg to differ with that conclusion.” In essence, Marcus said, the odd dynamics in the Spot are just the result of weather on giant Jupiter. Read more. | | | | | |
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|  | | More awesome photos of Venus and Jupiter | Marsha Kirschbaum in California caught this photo Sunday evening, the day of the Venus-Jupiter conjunction. She wrote: "The sky was predicted to be clear out on the coast with a spike in humidity right around sunset. The Point Reyes Lighthouse recently reopened after some much-needed maintenance, and I decided it would be the perfect foreground, provided the fog stayed away. The sunset was beautiful and as the sky began to darken, first Venus shimmered into view and then Jupiter. As predicted, the moisture in the air increased and began to coat my tripod and camera. And then … bonus! The remnants of the southern arm of the Milky Way came into view to provide a wonderful backdrop to the planet action." Thank you, Marsha! See more Venus-Jupiter photos at EarthSky Community Photos, or at EarthSky feeds via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. | | | | | |
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 | | Meanwhile, in the morning sky ... | View at EarthSky Community Photos. | In recent days, as many watched the west after sunset, there was a show going on in the east before sunrise, too. Nicholas Holshouser was on the Blue Ridge Parkway, Milepost 410, North Carolina, on Monday morning when he captured the old moon with earthshine, near the planets Mercury and Mars. He wrote: "The city lights of Hendersonville and Flat Rock are below in the valley. Upper right from the moon is Mercury, and further upper right in the topmost corner is Mars. Had a nice clear sky and temps just above freezing." Beautiful, Nicholas! Thank you. | | |
