iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Comet Interceptor

Michael Busch @michael-w-busch.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Abbie Donaldson is updating predictions for @vrubinobs.bsky.social finding targets for @cometinterceptor.bsky.social; using the Sorcha survey simulator (Merritt et al. 2025). Expect multiple targets, found at a mean of 10 au out. Final statistics are pending. #ACM2026

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Reposted by Comet Interceptor

Michael Busch @michael-w-busch.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Michael Küppers updated #ACM2026 on the status of @cometinterceptor.bsky.social. On schedule for launch in late 2028 / early 2029 and waiting for up to 5 years after that for a reachable long-period comet (or interstellar object) to be found.

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Comet Interceptor @cometinterceptor.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

The first Spacecraft Missions session at #ACM2026 was rounded off with Comet Interceptor talks by Michael Küppers, Namrah Habib and Abbie Donaldson - a great way to start a conference in our opinion!! ☄️🚀

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Comet Interceptor @cometinterceptor.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Happy LSST-has-started day to all who celebrate!! Now let's find me a target 🔭☄️

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Comet Interceptor @cometinterceptor.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

Wish you were here Nick, hi from St Andrews!

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Comet Interceptor @cometinterceptor.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

Talking Comet Interceptor in St Andrews today at @bpsc2026.bsky.social ☄️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

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Comet Interceptor @cometinterceptor.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

And here's a (long-overdue) photo of the members of the @cometinterceptor.bsky.social team who attended the SWT in-person!

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Comet Interceptor @cometinterceptor.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

This week the CI Science Working Team convened at a sunny ESTEC ☀️ thanks to everyone who attended for 3 days of discussions and presentations on all things comets! ☄️

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Dr. Nick Attree @nickattree.eurosky.social · 27/11/2025

Remote attending a @cometinterceptor.bsky.social CoCa team meeting, and finding my Lego model to be very useful for orientating myself around the spacecraft!

A Lego comet interceptor spacecraft held up in front of a blurry computer screen showing a zoom call.

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Dr. Nick Attree @nickattree.eurosky.social · 10/11/2025

Excellent, I'll have to tell my intern! He's been doing great work on #comet ☄️ orbits perturbed by non-gravitational forces from their outgassing. We have already presented results to the @cometinterceptor.bsky.social team, and hopefully we will write a #PlanetaryScience paper on the subject!

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Comet Interceptor @cometinterceptor.bsky.social · 24/09/2025

Catch Colin Snodgrass talking ☄️ Comet Interceptor 🚀 on the BBC's Science In Action as well as @megschwamb.bsky.social on how important LSST will be for making small body discoveries: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/... (from 8:30 minutes onwards!)

bbc.co.uk

Science In Action - Stephen Hawking gets it right again - BBC Sounds

LIGO witnesses two black holes merge just how Hawking predicted.

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Comet Interceptor @cometinterceptor.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

Hear from mission scientist Colin Snodgrass in his interview with @earthskyscience.bsky.social talking all things Comet Interceptor 🚀☄️

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Michele Bannister @astrokiwi.bsky.social · 27/08/2025

Today on interstellar comet ☄️ 3I/ATLAS, this time from our team with ESO's VLT: the coma shows rich atomic nickel! This entirely natural metal emission from grains was only recently (last 4 yrs) identified in Solar System comets, was in 2I/Borisov, & now in 3I. 🔭🧪 Rahatgaonkar et al, ApJL submitted

arxiv.org

VLT observations of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS II. From quiescence to glow: Dramatic rise of Ni I emission and incipient CN outgassing at large heliocentric distances

We report VLT spectroscopy of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS (C/2025 N1) from $r_{\rm h}\!\simeq\!4.4$ to $2.85$ au using X-shooter (300-550 nm, $R\!\simeq\!3000$) and UVES (optical, $R\!\simeq\!35k-...

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International Space Science Institute (ISSI) @issibern.ch · 14/08/2025

Catching Comets for Planetary Defence! 🛡️✨ In her #TEDx talk, ISSI Discipline Scientist @kokotanekova.bsky.social is shining a brilliant light on one of the most daring missions in planetary science: ESA’s Comet Interceptor. ☄️ www.issibern.ch/catching-com... @esa.int @cometinterceptor.bsky.social 🔭

issibern.ch

Catching Comets: Rosita Kokotanekova’s Vision for Planetary Defence and Discovery | International Space Science Institute

Listen to her engaging TEDxVitosha presentation, Dr. Rosita Kokotanekova, Planetary Science Discipline Scientist at ISSI.

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NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory @rubinobservatory.org · 30/07/2025

☄️ Say hello to Comet 3I/ATLAS, just the third interstellar object ever seen in our Solar System! NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory didn’t discover the comet, but even during testing, it caught a glimpse. Imagine what we'll find once full science operations begin later this year! 🔭🧪

youtu.be

Interstellar Object Comet 3I/ATLAS as seen by NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory!

☄️ Say hello to Comet 3I/ATLAS as seen by NSF–DOE Rubin Observatory! Comet 3I/ATLAS is just the third interstellar object ever spotted in our Solar System. Rubin Observatory didn’t discover it, but…

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Comet Interceptor @cometinterceptor.bsky.social · 31/07/2025

🚀🚀 Could I have made it to interstellar object 3I/ATLAS? Find out in our latest research note! 🚀🚀 Analysis of Trajectories to 3I/ATLAS with a Comet Interceptor-like Spacecraft doi.org/10.3847/2515... via @ioppublishing.bsky.social

doi.org

Analysis of Trajectories to 3I/ATLAS with a Comet Interceptor-like Spacecraft - IOPscience

Analysis of Trajectories to 3I/ATLAS with a Comet Interceptor-like Spacecraft, Sanchez, Joan Pau, Snodgrass, Colin

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Comet Interceptor @cometinterceptor.bsky.social · 29/07/2025

Check out Rosita Kokotanekova’s TEDx talk all about ME ☄️

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Comet Interceptor @cometinterceptor.bsky.social · 29/07/2025

Comet Interceptor is now on Bluesky!! ☄️🚀🛰️

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