The mysterious interstellar object 1I/‘Oumuamua, and trillions of others like it, could have formed when its parent body was pulled apart by gravitational tides from a star, resulting in elongated shards being ejected into interstellar space.
As interstellar Comet 2I/Borisov nears its closest point to the Sun on 8 December, a long tail of icy debris has formed stretching some 160,000 kilometres.
A newly-discovered comet is barreling into the solar system at a velocity that indicates it likely came in from interstellar space. Researchers are working on confirmation.
Researchers analyzing the trajectory and behavior of ‘Oumuamua, an interstellar body passing through Earth’s solar system, have identified four candidate stars where the unusual comet-like body might have originated.
The cigar-shaped ‘Oumuamua, now sailing out of the Solar System after crossing the gulfs of interstellar space and looping past the Sun, has gained speed slightly, indicating it is a comet, not an asteroid as originally believed.
Astronomers analyzing the retrograde motion of an asteroid orbiting the Sun at Jupiter’s distance shows the body most likely originated in another star system and was captured by the gravity of the Sun and its planets at some point in the distant past.
The interstellar asteroid ‘Oumuamua likely originated in a binary star system, researchers say. The rocky, cigar-shaped asteroid was discovered last October as it made a high-speed pass through Earth’s solar system.
Astronomers say an object observed speeding through our solar system last month has an unexpected cigar-like shape and originated from another star, making it the first confirmed interstellar asteroid.