Astronomers noticed the presence of the first known object from interstellar space that got past the border of our solar system. They named the curious cosmic body A/2017 U1. They believe the unidentified rock has interstellar origins.
On September 9, the wanderer was at its closest point to the sun traveling at 27 miles per second. Specialists have a narrow window at their disposal to study the intruder. Its trajectory set course to leave Earth and Sun as far behind as possible.
A/2017 U1 Is the First Cosmic Body that Proves the Existence of Interstellar Travel
Astronomers caught their first glimpse of A/2017 U1 on October 19. The object consists of rock and ice and is just an intruder into our solar system. The object measures several hundred feet across. It is currently leaving the Earth behind at a speed of 98,000 miles an hour.
This stunning speed is the factor that gave it away as an interstellar rock. The fact that it can withstand the gravitational influence of the sun means that it doesn’t belong in this solar system.
Scientists have long waited for such a presence. Those specialists who pursue knowledge of planetary formation believed that bodies of rock and ice are ejected from a star meeting that gives birth to larger bodies. However, they had only particles of dust at their disposal to prove this theory.
Therefore, this first visit represents the first palpable proof that planetary formation is powerful enough to trigger interstellar journeys. A/2017 U1 represents a temporary opportunity for scientists to study a small souvenir of an alien planet. NASA astronomer Joseph Masiero believes this is one of the biggest announcements for the asteroid community.
“This the first piece of evidence we’ve seen of how planets are built around other stars.”
Scientists Can Collect Data until November 3 After Which They Will No Longer Observe the Alien Object
It was a postdoctoral researcher named Rob Weryk at the University of Hawaii Institute of Astronomy who first noticed the strange cosmic body. He managed to focus the image of it through Pan-STARS 1 telescope.
The asteroid community had gone through past false alarms for numerous times. However, members gathered enough solid evidence to mark it as the first official visit from another star system. This place of origin remained unidentified.
The gravitation of the sun proved to have no influence on the trajectory of the body. This way, scientists knew the rock is not local. They have until November 3 to learn more about it after which our powerful telescopes will lose sight of it.
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