No cigar: Interstellar object is cookie-shaped planet shard
4 years ago

No cigar: Interstellar object is cookie-shaped planet shard

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Arizona State University astronomers reported this week that the strange 148-foot object that appears to be made of frozen nitrogen, just like the surface of Pluto and Neptune s largest moon Triton The study's authors, Alan Jackson and Steven Desch, think an impact knocked a chunk off an icy nitrogen-covered planet 500 million years ago and sent the piece tumbling out of its own star system, toward ours. “Everybody is interested in aliens, and it was inevitable that this first object outside the solar system would make people think of aliens,” Desch said in a statement. Given that Oumuamua is unlike comets and asteroids — and something not seen before — “we cannot assume ‘business as usual,’ as many scientists argue,” Loeb wrote in an email Wednesday.

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History of this topic

Mysterious interstellar object may have altered solar system orbits, study says
3 months, 2 weeks ago

Mysterious interstellar object may have altered solar system orbits, study says

The Independent  

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A massive interstellar object passing through our solar system during its formative years …

A mega comet has entered our Solar System: Observations place it closer than Neptune
3 years, 9 months ago

A mega comet has entered our Solar System: Observations place it closer than Neptune

India Today  

Comets, the frozen leftovers from the formation of the Solar System, have always been a matter of curiosity for scientists across the world, as they could hold clues about the formation of the universe. A 6,00,000 year orbit When first observed in 2014, the mega comet was about 29 Astronomical Units away from Sun — 1 AU is the distance …

Comet That Gatecrashed Through Our Solar System is No Ordinary Interstellar Object. Here’s Why
3 years, 11 months ago

Comet That Gatecrashed Through Our Solar System is No Ordinary Interstellar Object. Here’s Why

News 18  

Scientists have discovered that a comet called 2I/Borisov – only the second interstellar object ever detected passing through the solar system – is surprisingly different in its composition from comets hailing from our celestial neighbourhood. Gas coming off 2I/Borisov contained high amounts of carbon monoxide – for more than comets formed in our solar system – indicating the object had …

Interstellar object, named Oumuamua, likely a cookie-shaped planet shard, study reveals
4 years ago

Interstellar object, named Oumuamua, likely a cookie-shaped planet shard, study reveals

ABC  

Our solar system's first known interstellar visitor is neither a comet nor asteroid as first suspected and looks nothing like a cigar. Key points: Arizona State University astronomers reported that the strange 45-metre object appeared to be made of frozen nitrogen It was named Oumuamua, Hawaiian for scout, in honour of the observatory in Hawaii that discovered it in 2017 …

Nasa releases never-before-seen image of mysterious object that arrived from another solar system
5 years, 3 months ago

Nasa releases never-before-seen image of mysterious object that arrived from another solar system

The Independent  

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Nasa has released never-before-seen images of 2I/Borisov, only the second known object to …

Astronomers get the best look at interstellar comet that fits right in with our solar system
5 years, 5 months ago

Astronomers get the best look at interstellar comet that fits right in with our solar system

CNN  

CNN — It’s only the second observed “interloper” to cross into our solar system, but interstellar comet 21/Borisov looks incredibly similar to our own comets based on new observations by astronomers. Astronomers at Jagiellonian University in Krakow created a computer program called “Interstellar Crusher” after the first observed interstellar object quickly zipped through our solar system. Observations by NASA’s Jet …

2nd interstellar visitor to our solar system confirmed and named
5 years, 6 months ago

2nd interstellar visitor to our solar system confirmed and named

CNN  

CNN — An unusual object detected streaking across the sky last month was a comet that originated outside our solar system, observations have confirmed, becoming only the second observed interstellar object to cross into our solar system. European Southern Observatory This image from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey shows the galaxy J0437+2456, which includes a supermassive black hole at its …

Astronomer spots possible new interstellar visitor in our solar system
5 years, 6 months ago

Astronomer spots possible new interstellar visitor in our solar system

CNN  

CNN — Almost two years after the first interstellar visitor was detected in our solar system, astronomers believe they’ve found one that’s incoming, according to NASA. After this initial observation, the Scout system at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory also flagged the object as possibly originating from outside of our solar system. Follow-up observations of the comet ensued, including Davide Farnocchia …

This interstellar visitor was not an alien spacecraft, researchers say
5 years, 8 months ago

This interstellar visitor was not an alien spacecraft, researchers say

CNN  

CNN — On October 19, 2017, the Pan-STARRS 1 telescope in Hawaii spotted something strange zooming through our solar system. It was the first observed object from outside our solar system, according to a study published in the journal Nature – and, as the researchers call it, an “oddball.” “What we found was a rapidly rotating object, at least the …

Unusual Asteroid Could Be An Interstellar Guest To Our Solar System
6 years, 10 months ago

Unusual Asteroid Could Be An Interstellar Guest To Our Solar System

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING Researchers postulate that a peculiar asteroid spotted near Jupiter is a permanent guest from a completely different solar system. In an article published Monday in the U.K.’s Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, the researchers say their studies indicate that asteroid 2015 BZ509 is actually an “interstellar immigrant” that has been circling the sun ever since …

This object isn’t supposed to be in our solar system
6 years, 10 months ago

This object isn’t supposed to be in our solar system

CNN  

Story highlights An object that was formed outside of our solar system has been discovered orbiting Jupiter The object is an exo-asteroid called 2015 BZ509 CNN — For billions of years, it lived in our solar system without us even knowing it was there. The researchers call this exo-asteroid, known as 2015 BZ509, an “interstellar immigrant.” It’s known as an …

What is the buzz about the new ‘interstellar object’?
7 years, 3 months ago

What is the buzz about the new ‘interstellar object’?

The Hindu  

The cigar-shaped rocky object, our first visitor from another solar system is continuing to throw new surprises and is keeping astronomers on their toes. On December 18, scientists from Queen's University, UK published a letter in Nature, stating that the interstellar object that whizzed past our sun in October is made up of icy interiors and carbon-rich surfaces. According to …

Meet ‘Oumuamua, the first observed interstellar visitor to our solar system
7 years, 4 months ago

Meet ‘Oumuamua, the first observed interstellar visitor to our solar system

CNN  

Story highlights A strange visitor to our solar system has been identified as an interstellar asteroid It's zooming through our solar system and will leave in 2019 CNN — On October 19, the Pan-STARRS 1 telescope in Hawaii spotted something strange zooming through our solar system. It is the first observed object from outside our solar system, according to a …

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