NASA Discovers Rare, Fast-Flying Object in Space: Where Is It Going?

A group of citizen scientists made a surprising cosmic discovery while exploring data from the universe. a potThey reportedly discovered a stellar object moving at an astonishing 1.6 million kilometers per hour, so fast that it escapes the gravity of our galaxy.

This object is called Quiz J1249identified thanks to a NASA citizen science project, Backyard Worlds: Planet 9This space allows volunteers to examine satellite data. wisewhich mapped the sky in infrared light between 2009 and 2011. Although the project was reactivated as Newways In 2013 and continuing until its closure in August 2024, analysis by citizen scientists was crucial to this discovery.

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What makes Quiz J1249 Also interesting is its unusually low metallic chemical composition and relatively small mass. These features suggest that it may be a remnant of the first stars in our galaxy, providing a window into the cosmic past.

Scientists believe that CWISE J1249 was ejected from its home star system by a catastrophic event, such as a supernova or interaction with a star. Black holeTheir discovery challenges current theories of stellar evolution and provides new clues about the violent processes that shape galaxies.

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In a related discovery, another hypervelocity star was identified through the project. Backyard Worlds Moving at 1.3 million miles per hour and about 400 light-years from Earth, this star, also known as CWISE J1249+36, is the closest hypervelocity star to our planet.

Research led by Professor Adam Burgasser The follower University of California, San DiegoIt suggests it is an L-type dwarf, a class of low-mass, low-temperature stars. Its unusual speed and trajectory have led scientists to speculate that it may have originated in a post-supernova binary system or in a globular cluster interacting with black holes.

These discoveries highlight the growing importance of citizen science in astronomy. Projects such as Backyard Worlds They take advantage of the human ability to identify patterns in large data sets, often overcoming the limitations of computational algorithms.

Collaboration between volunteers, professional astronomers, and students is transforming the study of the universe, facilitating the discovery of previously unknown celestial objects, and providing new perspectives on the dynamics of the universe. milky way.