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Significant Event Report for Week Ending 2/16/2001

Cassini Top 10 Science Highlights - 2016



10 THINGS: MYSTERIOUS 'OUMUAMUA

By Phil Davis 


FEATURE | JULY 2, 2018

Five things we know and five things we don’t know about the first confirmed
interstellar object to pass through our solar system.




1. WE KNOW IT’S NOT FROM AROUND HERE.

The object known as 1I/2017 U1 (and nicknamed ‘Oumuamua) was traveling too fast
(196,000 mph, that’s 54 miles per second or 87.3 kilometers per second) to have
originated in our solar system. Comets and asteroids from within our solar
system move at a slower speed, typically an average of 12 miles per second (19
kilometers per second) . In non-technical terms, 'Oumuamua is an “interstellar
vagabond.”

Artist impression of the interstellar object ‘Oumuamua. Credit: ESA/Hubble,
NASA, ESO, M. Kornmesser


2. WE’RE NOT SURE WHERE IT CAME FROM.

'Oumuamua entered our solar system from the rough direction of the constellation
Lyra, but it’s impossible to tell where it originally came from. Thousands of
years ago, when 'Oumuamua started to wander from its parent planetary system,
the stars were in a different position so it’s impossible to pinpoint its point
of origin. It could have been wandering the galaxy for billions of years.




3. WE KNOW IT’S OUT OF HERE.

'Oumuamua is headed back out of our solar system and won’t be coming back. It’s
rapidly headed in the direction of the constellation Pegasus and will cross the
orbit of Neptune in about four years and cover one light year’s distance in
about 11,000 years.


4. WE DON’T REALLY KNOW WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE.

We’ve only seen it as a speck of light through a telescope (it is far away and
less than half a mile in length), but its unique rotation leads us to believe
that it’s elongated like a cigar, about 10 times longer than it is wide. We
can’t see it anymore. Artist’s concepts are the best guesses at what it might
look like.


5. WE KNOW IT GOT A LITTLE SPEED BOOST.

A rapid response observing campaign allowed us to watch as 'Oumuamua got an
unexpected boost in speed. The acceleration slightly changed its course from
earlier predictions.

“This additional subtle force on ′Oumuamua likely is caused by jets of gaseous
material expelled from its surface,” said Davide Farnocchia of the Center for
Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “This
same kind of outgassing affects the motion of many comets in our solar system.”


6. WE KNOW IT’S TUMBLING.

Unusual variations in the comet’s brightness suggest it is rotating on more than
one axis.

This illustration shows ‘Oumuamua racing toward the outskirts of our solar
system. As the complex rotation of the object makes it difficult to determine
the exact shape, there are many models of what it could look like. Credits:
NASA/ESA/STScI


7. WE DON’T KNOW WHAT IT’S MADE OF.

Comets in our solar system kick off lots of dust and gas when they get close to
the Sun, but 'Oumuamua did not, which led observers to consider defining it as
an asteroid.

Karen Meech, an astronomer at the University of Hawaii’s Institute of Astronomy,
said small dust grains, present on the surface of most comets, may have eroded
away during ′Oumuamua's long journey through interstellar space. "The more we
study ′Oumuamua, the more exciting it gets." she said. It could be giving off
gases that are harder to see than dust, but it’s impossible to know at this
point.


8. WE KNEW TO EXPECT IT.

Just not when. The discovery of an interstellar object has been anticipated for
decades. The space between the stars probably has billions and billions of
asteroids and comets roaming around independently. Scientists understood that
inevitably, some of these small bodies would enter our own solar system. This
interstellar visit by ‘Oumuamua reinforces our models of how planetary systems
form.


9. WE DON’T KNOW WHAT IT’S DOING NOW.

After January 2018, 'Oumuamua was no longer visible to telescopes, even in
space. But scientists continue to analyze the data gathered during the
international observing campaign and crack open more mysteries about this unique
interstellar visitor.


10. WE KNOW THERE’S A GOOD CHANCE WE’LL SEE ANOTHER ONE...EVENTUALLY.

Because ′Oumuamua is the first interstellar object ever observed in our solar
system, researchers caution that it’s difficult to draw general conclusions
about this newly-discovered class of celestial bodies. Observations point to the
possibility that other star systems regularly eject small comet-like objects and
there should be more of them drifting among the stars. Future ground- and
space-based surveys could detect more of these interstellar vagabonds, providing
a larger sample for scientists to analyze. Adds, Karen Meech, an astronomer at
the University of Hawaii’s Institute of Astronomy: “I can hardly wait for the
next interstellar object!"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Page Updated: August 31, 2018


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