Michele Bannister
@astrokiwi.bsky.social
Planetary astronomer @UCNZ: envisioning worlds from here and elsewhere, in a dark & glorious sky. Rutherford Discovery Fellow. Asteroid (10463). Pākehā; she
Poor 2I, missed out on being called a spacecraft, how will it cope
November 8, 2025 at 7:13 PM
Poor 2I, missed out on being called a spacecraft, how will it cope
Possibly check with doc and council? Sightings logged in iNaturalist or similar to ensure there's a log, could help support.
November 7, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Possibly check with doc and council? Sightings logged in iNaturalist or similar to ensure there's a log, could help support.
This means we'll have a funded PhD position upcoming in our Ōtautahi-Oxford interstellar objects group. Enquiries welcome (2026 start)
November 5, 2025 at 10:15 AM
This means we'll have a funded PhD position upcoming in our Ōtautahi-Oxford interstellar objects group. Enquiries welcome (2026 start)
It is gorgeous but can be a bit temperamental. Doesn't like root disturbance
November 5, 2025 at 9:45 AM
It is gorgeous but can be a bit temperamental. Doesn't like root disturbance
We are going to have a lot of fun. (Partners on this Council grant)
November 5, 2025 at 9:25 AM
We are going to have a lot of fun. (Partners on this Council grant)
Reposted by Michele Bannister
The transverse term A2 is (3.75+-1.59)e-7 au/day2 (2.4sigma).
i.e. negligible. These are
*not* “unprecedented,
*not* unexpected, I’m unaware of any scientist friends who are “bewildered”. Still a comet, albeit an interesting one whose properties may tell us something about other systems. #3IATLAS
i.e. negligible. These are
*not* “unprecedented,
*not* unexpected, I’m unaware of any scientist friends who are “bewildered”. Still a comet, albeit an interesting one whose properties may tell us something about other systems. #3IATLAS
November 5, 2025 at 2:24 AM
The transverse term A2 is (3.75+-1.59)e-7 au/day2 (2.4sigma).
i.e. negligible. These are
*not* “unprecedented,
*not* unexpected, I’m unaware of any scientist friends who are “bewildered”. Still a comet, albeit an interesting one whose properties may tell us something about other systems. #3IATLAS
i.e. negligible. These are
*not* “unprecedented,
*not* unexpected, I’m unaware of any scientist friends who are “bewildered”. Still a comet, albeit an interesting one whose properties may tell us something about other systems. #3IATLAS
Reposted by Michele Bannister
Updated Comet 3I/ATLAS #3IATLAS orbit dropped from JPL Small-Body Database, including measured positions thru Nov 4.
ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/sbdb_l...
The “non-gravitational” acceleration terms in the orbit are *barely statistically significant*…the radial term A1 is (1.11+-0.30)e-7 au/day2 (3.7sig)
ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/sbdb_l...
The “non-gravitational” acceleration terms in the orbit are *barely statistically significant*…the radial term A1 is (1.11+-0.30)e-7 au/day2 (3.7sig)
Small-Body Database Lookup
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ssd.jpl.nasa.gov
November 5, 2025 at 2:15 AM
Updated Comet 3I/ATLAS #3IATLAS orbit dropped from JPL Small-Body Database, including measured positions thru Nov 4.
ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/sbdb_l...
The “non-gravitational” acceleration terms in the orbit are *barely statistically significant*…the radial term A1 is (1.11+-0.30)e-7 au/day2 (3.7sig)
ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/sbdb_l...
The “non-gravitational” acceleration terms in the orbit are *barely statistically significant*…the radial term A1 is (1.11+-0.30)e-7 au/day2 (3.7sig)
It's also the anniversary of Parihaka, so there is a degree of effort to have that discussed instead nzhistory.govt.nz/te-ra-o-te-p...
Te rā o te pāhua – invasion of pacifist settlement at Parihaka | NZ History
About 1600 troops invaded the western Taranaki settlement of Parihaka, which had come to symbolise peaceful resistance to the confiscation of Māori land.
nzhistory.govt.nz
November 5, 2025 at 8:10 AM
It's also the anniversary of Parihaka, so there is a degree of effort to have that discussed instead nzhistory.govt.nz/te-ra-o-te-p...
Welcome to Guy Falkes night, one of the weirdest events NZ does: fireworks in the middle of spring wind & storms, with sunset at 20:22, and the main reason anyone can have for holding it is 'yay fireworks'
November 5, 2025 at 8:02 AM
Welcome to Guy Falkes night, one of the weirdest events NZ does: fireworks in the middle of spring wind & storms, with sunset at 20:22, and the main reason anyone can have for holding it is 'yay fireworks'
YAY congratulations
November 2, 2025 at 5:59 PM
YAY congratulations
Narrative CV: space opera
November 2, 2025 at 10:10 AM
Narrative CV: space opera
I know only that this event called the World Series is underway, but goodness the delight is palpable
November 2, 2025 at 2:00 AM
I know only that this event called the World Series is underway, but goodness the delight is palpable
...none of the observing astronomers are suggesting this, at all.
November 2, 2025 at 1:48 AM
...none of the observing astronomers are suggesting this, at all.
Science enthusiasm lives yet
November 2, 2025 at 12:59 AM
Science enthusiasm lives yet
It is neat to see!
Earth is entirely safe though, 3I's trajectory is very far from us. The potential risk from interstellar objects is much much lower than from near-Earth asteroids, and none of those of any size are current threats.
Earth is entirely safe though, 3I's trajectory is very far from us. The potential risk from interstellar objects is much much lower than from near-Earth asteroids, and none of those of any size are current threats.
November 2, 2025 at 12:58 AM
It is neat to see!
Earth is entirely safe though, 3I's trajectory is very far from us. The potential risk from interstellar objects is much much lower than from near-Earth asteroids, and none of those of any size are current threats.
Earth is entirely safe though, 3I's trajectory is very far from us. The potential risk from interstellar objects is much much lower than from near-Earth asteroids, and none of those of any size are current threats.
Absolutely. Typically people compare 'production rates', which are how much of each ice in the comet is subliming into space, measured from the lines in the comet's spectra and some modelling. Here's how we did that for the last interstellar comet, 2I/Borisov
A portrait throughout perihelion of the NH$_2$-rich interstellar comet 2I/Borisov
The interstellar comet 2I/Borisov is the first interstellar object where compositional characterisation was possible throughout its entire perihelion passage. We report all 16 epochs of a comprehensiv...
arxiv.org
November 2, 2025 at 12:49 AM
Absolutely. Typically people compare 'production rates', which are how much of each ice in the comet is subliming into space, measured from the lines in the comet's spectra and some modelling. Here's how we did that for the last interstellar comet, 2I/Borisov