US Astronauts Observe First Asteroid from outside Solar System

KOI-314c, the lightest planet to have both size and mass
measured. This gaseous ‘Super Earth’ is 60% larger than our planet.
(Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics/AFP)
KOI-314c, the lightest planet to have both size and mass measured. This gaseous ‘Super Earth’ is 60% larger than our planet. (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics/AFP)
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US Astronauts Observe First Asteroid from outside Solar System

KOI-314c, the lightest planet to have both size and mass
measured. This gaseous ‘Super Earth’ is 60% larger than our planet.
(Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics/AFP)
KOI-314c, the lightest planet to have both size and mass measured. This gaseous ‘Super Earth’ is 60% larger than our planet. (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics/AFP)

US space scientists announced that a small asteroid or comet, which has been spotted racing through our solar system, may have come from elsewhere in the galaxy, possibly marking the first such interstellar visitor observed from Earth.

The mystery object, so far known only as A/2017 U1, was discovered earlier this month by a researcher using a sophisticated telescope system at the University of Hawaii that continually scans the universe for such phenomenon.

The mass, a quarter mile (400 meters) in diameter, quickly stood out for scientists because of its extreme orbit, coming from the direction of the constellation Lyra, almost directly above the ecliptic plane where the planets and other asteroids orbit the sun.

Reuters reported that the mass crossed under that plane just outside Mercury’s orbit on Sept. 2 before being slung by the sun’s massive gravity into a sharp turn under our solar system. The closest the object came to Earth was about 15 million miles away on Oct. 14.

NASA scientists said if the object is formally established as the first of its kind spotted from Earth, rules for naming it would have to be set out by the International Astronomical Union.



Syria Seeks EU Help to Battle Massive Wildfires

FILE : A fire burns at a forest in Latakia province, Syria in this handout released by SANA on October 9, 2020. SANA/Handout via REUTERS
FILE : A fire burns at a forest in Latakia province, Syria in this handout released by SANA on October 9, 2020. SANA/Handout via REUTERS
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Syria Seeks EU Help to Battle Massive Wildfires

FILE : A fire burns at a forest in Latakia province, Syria in this handout released by SANA on October 9, 2020. SANA/Handout via REUTERS
FILE : A fire burns at a forest in Latakia province, Syria in this handout released by SANA on October 9, 2020. SANA/Handout via REUTERS

Syria’s minister of emergencies and disaster management on Tuesday requested support from the European Union to battle wildfires that have swept through a vast stretch of forested land.

The fires have been burning for six days, with Syrian emergency crews struggling to bring them under control amid strong winds and severe drought.

Neighboring countries Jordan, Lebanon and Türkiye have already dispatched firefighting teams to assist in the response.

“We asked the European Union for help in extinguishing the fires,” minister Raed al-Saleh said on X, adding Cyprus was expected to send aid on Tuesday, AFP reported.

“Fear of the fires spreading due to strong winds last night prompted us to evacuate 25 families to ensure their safety without any human casualties,” he added.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) office in Syria, the fires impacted “some 5,000 persons, including displacements, across 60 communities.”

An estimated 100 square kilometers (40 square miles) of forest and farmland -- more than three percent of Syria’s forest cover -- have burned, OCHA told AFP.

At least seven towns in Latakia province have been evacuated as a precaution.

Efforts to extinguish the fires have been hindered by “rugged terrain, the absence of firebreaks, strong winds, and the presence of mines and unexploded ordnance”, Saleh said.

With man-made climate change increasing the likelihood and intensity of droughts and wildfires worldwide, Syria has also been battered by heatwaves and low rainfall.

In June, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization said Syria had “not seen such bad climate conditions in 60 years.”