Explained: Is a new interstellar object visiting Solar System? | Explained News, The Indian Express

Explained: Is a new interstellar object visiting Solar System? | Explained News, The Indian Express

By Express News Service |New Delhi |Updated: September 16, 2019 7:15:13 am

Explained: Is a new interstellar object visiting Solar System?

On August 30, the MARGO observatory in Crimea spotted a comet which, astronomers believe, is likely to have originated from outside the Solar System, although the official confirmation has not been made yet.

An artist’s concept of interstellar asteroid 1I/2017 U1 (‘Oumuamua) as it passed through the solar system after its discovery in October 2017. Observations of ‘Oumuamua indicate that it must be very elongated because of its dramatic variations in brightness as it tumbled through space. (Photo: European Southern Observatory/M. Kornmesser)

In October 2017, the Haleakala Observatory in Hawaii spotted a strange, spaceship-shaped object passing through the Solar System. Later named ‘Oumuamua, it became the subject of speculation whether it was really an alien spaceship, but was eventually declared by scientists to be an interstellar object — the first such known visitor to the Solar System.