Unknown space object is discovered speeding at over 1 million miles per hour

Humans have always been captivated by the star-studded skies. Much like an orchestra thrills its audience with each instrument, our universe continues to astound us with each new revelation, including this recent discovery of CWISE J1249 by NASA citizen scientists of an unknown object moving at incredible speed.

One such incredible discovery was recently made by an exceptional group of astronomical enthusiasts, the citizen scientists of NASA’s Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 project.

Their keen eyes spotted an object moving at an astonishing speed of 1 million miles per hour, a rarity in the tranquil orbits of the Milky Way. This sensational find marks the first detection of such a fast and compact celestial object.

Understanding the Backyard Worlds project

NASA’s “Backyard Worlds” is a fun citizen science project that invites everyone to help find new celestial objects.

This initiative aids in the analysis of huge amounts of data from NASA’s NEOWISE mission to spot elusive brown dwarfs, rogue planets, and other cosmic gems that might have slipped past automated searches.

Participants, called “citizen scientists,” get to analyze images online, hunting for moving objects that could lead to exciting discoveries.

It’s a fantastic opportunity for people from all walks of life — no matter their scientific background — to pitch in on real astronomical research.

Those involved in Backyard Worlds have played a key role in spotting several brown dwarfs — objects that are too big to be planets but not quite large enough to become stars.

CWISE J1249 and the NEOWISE mission

The Backyard Worlds

From 2009 to 2011, WISE diligently mapped the sky, capturing images in infrared light, before being reactivated as NEOWISE in 2013.

This project, which was retired in 2024, played a crucial role in this discovery.

A few years back, dedicated citizen scientists, Martin Kabatnik, Thomas P. Bickle, and Dan Caselden, noticed a faint and fast-moving object on their screens, which was later titled CWISE J124909.08+362116.0.

Follow-up observations confirmed the discovery and allowed the scientists to characterize the object, earning these citizen scientists co-authorship in the study documenting this discovery.

Mysteries of CWISE J1249

“I can’t describe the level of excitement. When I first saw how fast it was moving, I was convinced it must have been reported already,” said Kabatnik, hailing from Nuremberg, Germany.

Yet, the unique attributes of this object didn’t stop at its extraordinary speed.

The low mass of CWISE J1249 makes it a difficult object to categorize — it could either be a low-mass star or a brown dwarf, a celestial body somewhere between a gas giant planet and a star.

Despite being rare, planet-searching volunteers have already identified over 4000 brown dwarfs. However, none of these objects are on a galactic getaway like CWISE J1249.

Secrets of an ancient star

The intrigue doesn’t end there.

Data from the W. M. Keck Observatory shows that CWISE J1249 possesses a different composition, with markedly less iron and other metals than other stars and brown dwarfs.

This unique composition indicates that CWISE J1249 might be quite ancient, possibly from one of the first generations of stars.

The object’s breakneck speed has led to theories about its origin. Some speculate that it was part of a binary system with a white dwarf, which exploded as a supernova.

Alternatively, it might have been part of a globular cluster, a tightly bound cluster of stars, and a fortuitous encounter with a pair of black holes could have flung it off its path.

Collective effort in discovering fast-moving star

To further investigate these theories, scientists plan to examine the elemental composition of CWISE J1249 more closely.

The discovery was a collective endeavor, involving a medley of participants—volunteers, professionals, and students.

Kabatnik mentions Melina Thévenot and Frank Kiwy, whose efforts significantly contributed to this finding.

This study was led by Adam Burgasser, a professor at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), along with co-authors Hunter Brooks and Austin Rothermich, who both commenced their astronomical careers as citizen scientists.

These scientific triumphs demonstrate how the collective power of curious minds can unravel the most profound mysteries hiding in the depths of our fascinating universe.

Future of citizen science

The discovery of CWISE J1249 is not just a remarkable achievement for those involved, but also a testament to the growing potential of citizen science in modern astronomy.

With access to ever-expanding data from missions like WISE and NEOWISE, citizen scientists are increasingly contributing to groundbreaking discoveries.

Projects like Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 demonstrate how the collaborative efforts of enthusiastic volunteers, armed with the right tools and guidance, can lead to significant scientific advancements.

As technology continues to evolve, the future holds even greater possibilities for citizen scientists to play an active role in unraveling the mysteries of our universe.

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