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A recently discovered interstellar comet, 3I-Atlas, is becoming more active as it approaches the sun, developing a larger tail, and is on a trajectory to pass near Earth between October and December, with the closest approach at 167 million miles away.
The International Gemini Observatory, a key player in global astronomical research, has temporarily suspended operations following a cyberattack. The Gemini North and South Telescopes, along with the Gemini.edu website, have been taken offline as a precaution. The National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NOIRLab), backed by the National Science Foundation, is working to restore normal operations and investigate the cyberattack. The culprits and their motives remain unknown, but previous cyberattacks on astronomical observatories and NASA have highlighted the need for enhanced cybersecurity in the space sector.
Hackers have targeted two of the world's most advanced telescopes, the Gemini North Telescope in Hawaii and Gemini South Telescope in Chile, along with other telescopes on Cerro Tololo in Chile, causing temporary shutdowns. The National Science Foundation's National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NOIRLab) is working with cybersecurity experts to investigate the cyberattacks and restore operations. The nature and origin of the attacks remain unclear. The incident occurred shortly before the United States National Counterintelligence and Security Center issued a bulletin warning about the threat of cyberattacks and espionage targeting American space companies and research organizations. This is not the first time astronomical observatories have been targeted, with previous attacks on the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and NASA.
A major cyberattack has disrupted remote connections to ten National Science Foundation (NSF) space telescopes, causing chaos in the astronomy community. The shutdowns have lasted for over two weeks, leading to missed opportunities for space observations. The reason behind the cyberattack remains unknown, and investigations are ongoing to resolve the incident.