I don't get the excitement. I thought it's common that stones of different sizes enter our solar system take a loop and exit again. That's exactly what this tourist plans on doing, or not? What's different?
The first known object to enter our solar system from deep space
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Re: The first known object to enter our solar system from deep space
#42I think it's a shame that this story hasn't gotten more attention. True, it doesn't tell us as much about the nature of the universe as the discovery of the Higgs boson, and it doesn't represent a major advance in engineering like gravitational wave detection. But it is the only chance we have ever had to directly view a largeish piece of another solar system, just millions of miles away. The next time probably won't…
Could this be the first of a series of "objects" to come our way? Part of a large ejection of some sort?
Re: The first known object to enter our solar system from deep space
#43I don't get the excitement. I thought it's common that stones of different sizes enter our solar system take a loop and exit again. That's exactly what this tourist plans on doing, or not? What's different?
Yes but this is the first observed instance of a stone that seems to come from outside the solar system and outside the Oort Cloud even, so basically from interstellar space. And its shape and albedo or unusual too, seemingly.
Re: The first known object to enter our solar system from deep space
#44[deleted]
Re: The first known object to enter our solar system from deep space
#45If there're a lot of these objects entering and leaving solar system every year, and suppose some day in the near future we can keep track of them all, can we use them for us to send out larger probes? We see a rock coming near us, and send out a probe to its path. And before the collision the probe create a buffer object at the rear end so that it wouldn't be totally destroyed. After that the probe can free ride for…
There is no benefit to this I'm afraid. To take a ride on it you first have to match velocities, so you've already done the work to chase it down. Gravity assist maneuvers are the best option we currently have for launching probes into interstellar space: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity_assist
Re: The first known object to enter our solar system from deep space
#46If there're a lot of these objects entering and leaving solar system every year, and suppose some day in the near future we can keep track of them all, can we use them for us to send out larger probes? We see a rock coming near us, and send out a probe to its path. And before the collision the probe create a buffer object at the rear end so that it wouldn't be totally destroyed. After that the probe can free ride for…
Hmm, accelerating such probe to the speed of the fastest man-made object ever made, Voyager 1 (17km/s), and using a 1-kilometer buffer object with linear acceleration with the asteroid (26km/s) we get >4,000gs.
What about elastic bands 100s of kms long? Probably no material strong enough, elastic or not.
Re: The first known object to enter our solar system from deep space
#47Earlier quoted context omitted.
- strange aspect ratio - tensile strength (it should be cartwheeling, there is a physics theorem which means everything tends to this configuration) - large flat or concave sections. - others are reporting it's mostly metallic. I'll say it: did anyone consider an alien spaceship? The paper seems to deduce "asteroidal" by ruling out other things, rather than by a positive measurement of rock spectra, unless I've misre…
Co-author here. We obtained spectroscopic measurements of 'Oumuamua, and its surface closely matches D-type asteroids and comet nuclei, which are dark, reddish and organic-rich.
Of course an asteroid, hollowed out somewhat, makes for a good spaceship. Especially if you're trying to be covert.
Perhaps someone has discovered warp drives (is gravitational wave detection the first step) and the Federation have sent a ship to observe us.
Re: The first known object to enter our solar system from deep space
#48Re: The first known object to enter our solar system from deep space
#49Now, what if it turns out to be an alien ship?
Re: The first known object to enter our solar system from deep space
#50Earlier quoted context omitted.
Co-author here. We obtained spectroscopic measurements of 'Oumuamua, and its surface closely matches D-type asteroids and comet nuclei, which are dark, reddish and organic-rich.
Of course an asteroid, hollowed out somewhat, makes for a good spaceship. Especially if you're trying to be covert. Perhaps someone has discovered warp drives (is gravitational wave detection the first step) and the Federation have sent a ship to observe us.
If you wanted to disguise a probe, it seems the ideal form would be a black body, not to disguise it as an asteroid, I would guess. Unless they're playing mind games.
Anyways, given all the EM radiation we're tossing out into the void, some species' probe out there is going to pick up our existence sooner or later.
And at ~395 earth-moon distances it's difficult to imagine how effective a 400-meter object, disguised as an asteroid, would be at seeing much detail on earth.
But it is tantalizing and fun to imagine--the appearance of a gravity boost... Flat surfaces... Near to earth... Lack of any ice or outgasing, a solid object, many characteristics not seen in other known-asteroids, rotating on its long axis... :)