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First Extrasolar Object Observed Racing Through Our Solar System (space.com)
Enigma2175 writes: For the first time, scientists have observed an object they believe came from outside our solar system. The object is in a hyperbolic orbit that will send it back into interstellar space. From Space.com: "The object, known as A/2017 U1, was detected last week by researchers using the Pan-STARRS 1 telescope in Hawaii. 'It's long been theorized that such objects exist -- asteroids or comets moving around between the stars and occasionally passing through our solar system -- but this is the first such detection,' Chodas added. 'So far, everything indicates this is likely an interstellar object, but more data would help to confirm it.' It's unclear what exactly this thing is. When A/2017 U1 was first spotted, it was thought to be a comet (and was therefore given the moniker C/2017 U1). But further observations have revealed no evidence of a coma -- the fuzzy cloud of gas and dust surrounding a comet's core -- so the object's name was amended to its current asteroidal designation."
The first on many... :-)
Religion: The greatest weapon of mass destruction of all time
Arthur C. Clarke was right again!
The object definitely deserves a more prosaic name. Like Rama... :-)
How appropriate!
Well, I sure hope that the UN Security Council is working feverishly on creating a stockpile of young virgins and candy . . .
. . . just in case the aliens stop by the Earth, ring our doorbell, and demand a "trick or treat" . . .
Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
Just wait for the course correction
politicians are like babies' nappies: they should both be changed regularly and for the same reasons
"ALIENS!"
That'll also be useful if Harvey Weinestein stops by
It's already heading out of the solar system, so no need to worry about any malicious intent. TFA says that it passed perihelion around Sep. 9. It was closest to the Earth on Oct 14, at about 15 million miles (24 million km, sorry don't have it in LOC). It's heading toward the constellation Pegasus at over 97000 mph. Maybe we'll send them a warning in a few years?
It's a bit unsettling that we didn't notice this until it had passed the earth at a relatively close distance, and passed through the plane of the ecliptic twice. I know the chances of an impact are very low, but the late detection indicates that we may be missing an unknown number of events like this, and may not be correct about estimates of the chances of being hit by one.
If they would take every politician and drop them into the Sun, I would give them a lot of leeway on the rest of their invasion plans.
The size of the Continental U.S. in relation to Texas in relation to UK in relation to New Jersey is 3000:260:90:7. Wales is about the same size as New Jersey.
So yes, the size of Texas in relation to the U.S. (apart from Alaska) is about the size of Wales in relation to U.K..
Interesting that it came in perpendicular to the ecliptic plane inside Mercury's orbit slingshots around the sun and then makes a b-line for Earth making a close approach at 15 million miles.
Build a Man a Fire, and He'll Be Warm for a Day. Set a Man on Fire, and He'll Be Warm for the Rest of His Life.
It may contain some protomolecule.
Escape speed from 1 AU (Earth's orbital radius) is about 42 km/s. The speed of this object, stated as 156,400 km/h, is just over 43/km/h. Assuming the object is a bit more than 1 AU from the Sun right now, it will escape the solar system but not by a wide margin.
This is the kind of event the space program ought to be better prepared for.
Even if this particular object may be be unreachable with current technology, we should have robotic probes that can approach and even crash into/land on objects that appear unexpectedly.
The Bugs send another meteor our way !
But this time we are ready !
Planetary defenses are better than ever !
Would you like to know more ?
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Wow, I had no idea that extrasolar object were so rare. I thought it was pretty common.
Usually, by looking at the trajectory of every asteroid you can easily simulate it's origin. Of course, that trajectory can be pushed by an external force (impact with another object, friction from gaz etc.) but, as far as I know, it's pretty rare. I'm also guessing that the trajectory of pretty much every object observed (asteroid/comet) so far have been simulated. And since it seem we observed over 500k asteroid so far (quick google search), it mean that extrasolar object are indeed very, very rare.
It's striking that our whole galaxy, with so many star and light in the night star, is, in reality, so empty.
Elok
Sure, objects have been observed with hyperbolic orbits before. But I believe all of them have been shown to be comets and all had significant evidence that they had received a gravity boost from one of the planets kicking their orbits up JUST enough to exit the solar system. This one is not a comet, is way out of the plane of the planets (unlikely it has received any gravity boosts) and at least initial observations suggest it has more than enough energy to leave the solar system. So it is highly likely that all other hyperbolic objects were from the Oort cloud while this is very likely an object from interstellar space.
If I were an Alien in charge of designing a close reconnaissance of Earth, I could not have planned a better trajectory than this.
Perhaps A/2017 U1's mothership will rendezvous just outside the oort cloud.
A signal was received from the artifact. NASAâ(TM)s super computers decoded the message. The message reads, âoeSend more Chuck Berryâ
One Texas is 33.45 Wales.
PS, we have 50 other states (but Texas is the second largest)
We have 49 other states, (fifty states in total,) unless you are counting psychological states, such as 'of fury' or 'of confusion,' in which case the total is far, far higher.
FTFY.
Much depends on definition chosen. People sometimes assume one definition is the only, and therefore absolute. Texas is not the second largest, in many things. For example, the largest state measured by the size of its coastline, Texas isn't even in the top five. Or considering the length of the perimeter bordering other states or countries, it's probably not second there either. Texas is also probably not the even the second largest in total surface area, as it is extremely FLAT; I'm pretty sure California, with all its mountains, and Hawaii, (including all the wetlands between its various mountain peaks,) both have far, far more land area than pancake-like Texas.
Our reign has gone on long enough. Indeed. Summon the meteors.
Not much of a beeline. 15 million miles is nearly as far away as Venus at its closest (24 million miles). If it had been much further away, we probably wouldn't have detected it--which is another way of saying that there could be lots (like dozens) of these that pass through our solar system, and we only see the ones that seem to be coming relatively close.