slug: "latbs/tupaians/2"
lang: en
title: "Record 2 — 4I/Achamán"
pageCreated: "2026-03-30"
extends ../../../../views/layout.pug
append cosmetics
link(href="/latbs/tupaians/archive.css", rel="stylesheet")
link(href="/latbs/tupaians/2/hotwired.css", rel="stylesheet")
append presets
- linkIcons = false;
block body
header#archive-header
a(href="/latbs/tupaians")#linkback
div#linkback-arrow ⟨
div.header-zh(lang="zh-Hans") 返回搜索结果
div.header-native Return to search results
h1#record-title
div.header-zh(lang="zh-Hans") 记录2(4I/阿查曼)
div.header-native Record 2 (4I/Achamán)
img(src="/latbs/media/flmu_logo_white.svg" alt="Fang Lizhi Martian University")
main#archive-body
header#hotwired-masthead
img#hotwired-title(src="/latbs/tupaians/2/hotwired_logo.svg" alt="Hotwired")
div#hotwired-slogan News for tomorrow’s world
div#masthead-clocks
div.clock
div.clock-dial 15:21
div.clock-label SFO
div.clock
div.clock-dial 23:21
div.clock-label LDN
div.clock
div.clock-dial 04:51
div.clock-label BLR
div.clock
div.clock-dial 17:46
div.clock-label MARS
nav#hotwired-navbar
ul
li: a(href="/") AI
li: a(href="/") Biz
li: a(href="/") Climate
li: a(href="/") E-Arts
li: a(href="/") Offbeat
li: a(href="/") Policy
li: a(href="/") Science
li: a(href="/") Space
li: a(href="/") Tech
li#navbar-search
label(for="navbar-search-bar") Search
input#navbar-search-bar(type="search")
img#search-icon(src="/latbs/tupaians/2/search.svg" alt="")
li.navbar-meta: a(href="/") Sign Up
header#article-header
div#article-titles
div#article-titlebox
div#article-topic #[a(href="/") Space] / Gotta catch-amán
h2 4I/Achamán is here. Can anyone catch it?
div#article-subhead Intercepting an interstellar object is the holy grail of modern astronomy — but it’s more difficult than you’d think.
div#article-credits #[a(href="/") Vijay Gupta] / 2026-01-19 at 13:35:21
img#article-hero-image(src="/latbs/media/spacecomet.jpg" alt="4I/Achamán in flight")
div#hotwired-body
article
p “IT WAS LIKE a Christmas gift from the universe!” That’s how Ruben Vasquez, an astronomer for the European Confederation’s Planetary Warning System, describes last month’s fortuitous discovery of the interstellar comet 4I/Achamán on my videocall with him. The network of telescopes, clustered in the Canary Islands and other far-flung European territories, was built to detect asteroids posing an existential threat to life on Earth — but may have instead glimpsed a peaceful visitor.
p Interstellar objects always generate buzz, and Achamán, the fourth found in the last decade, is no exception. In many ways it seems like a rerun of ‘Oumuamua, our first known starbourne visitor: it has the same cigar-like shape, similar brightness (#[i apparent magnitude], as they say in the biz), and appears to have come from the same patch of the night sky, in the constellation of Lyra. Is it a coincidence? Vasquez is noncommittal: “I don’t think we know enough to say just yet. I think our best shot at an answer would be if we can just get a probe up there and find out.”
p Many in the spaceflight industry agree, most notably Richard Branson. The #[+sc("CEO")] of Virgin Intergalactic and owner of Bebo has been outspoken about his desire to see what makes this space rock tick — and, more controversially, his belief that extraterrestrial intelligence may be responsible.
a#bebo-embed(href="/")
div#bebo-header
img#bebo-header-avatar(src="/latbs/media/branson.jpg" alt="Avatar for user @rb")
div#bebo-header-text
div#bebo-header-alias #[b Richard Branson] says…
div#bebo-header-username @rb
div#bebo-post
p LOL -- Sad to see a once respectable publication put out this dross. Anyone who knows anything can confirm that the chance of alien life is VERY REAL. Yes, even "greys". Kary Mullis said as much and they ran him out of academia for it. 😂️🚀️ Strange how even suggesting we "yeet" something up there gets people irate.... RB
p https://slatemagazine.com/thepitch/2026/01/10/no-comet-4i-still-isnt-aliens
div#bebo-stats
div.bebo-stat #[b 31,271] loves
div.bebo-stat #[b 9,800] shares
div.bebo-stat #[b 1,284] replies
div#bebo-footer Get the whole story on Bebo #[b →]
p.fuck-you So, what’s stopping us from “yeeting” something up there, as Branson put it? Three things, largely: time, money, and physics. Achamán is already on its way out of the solar system, and lorem ipsum dolor sit amet lorem ipsum dolor sit amet lorem ipsum dolor sit amet lorem ipsum dolor sit amet lorem ipsum dolor sit amet
div#signup-bug
div#signup-heading The truth doesn’t pay for itself.
div#signup-explainer Get exclusive access to every article from the most trusted voice in tech.
a#signup-yearly(href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_vBIcioSCw") Subscribe for $10/month #[br] #[small Paid annually]
a#signup-monthly(href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_vBIcioSCw") Or $12/month, paid monthly
aside#more-stories
h3 More stories
div.story
img.story-image(src="/latbs/media/yang_thumbnail.jpg" alt="Andrew Yang")
div.story-topic #[b AI] / Yang-ing out to dry
div.story-title “They’re Eating Our F***ing Lunch”: Leaks Show VP’s Anger at Slow U.S. AI Progress
div.story-when 5 hours ago
div.story
img.story-image(src="/latbs/media/bigoil.jpg" alt="An oil rig superimposed with a downwards stock ticker")
div.story-topic #[b Climate] / Fusion confusion
div.story-title Big Oil Says It Has a Plan. Stockholders Are Skeptical.
div.story-when 2 days ago
div.story
img.story-image(src="/latbs/media/tailsketch.jpg" alt="An illustration of a tail")
div.story-topic #[b Tech] / Don’t try this at home
div.story-title Seattle’s Most Infamous Biogrinder on Life With a Tail
div.story-when 5 days ago
div.story
img.story-image(src="/latbs/media/startrekvr.jpg" alt="")
div.story-topic #[b E-Arts] / Set Graphics to “Stun”
div.story-title #[i Star Trek: Challenger] Is a Triumph for VR
div.story-when 57 minutes ago