Caroline Donado
Staff Writer
On Oct. 19, astronomers sighted an asteroid that they discovered to be from another solar system, its fast pace forcing researchers to scramble for any information they can get before it leaves.
This is the first object of appreciable size that has entered this solar system from another. In a NASA news release, the manager for the Center for Near Earth Object Studies, Paul Chodas, said, “We have been waiting for this day for decades. It's long been theorized that such objects exist . . . but this is the first such detection.” This asteroid will provide scientists with a myriad of new knowledge about space and how solar systems function. Furthermore, in the future it will be easier to find more of these visiting interstellar objects.
What was first believed to be a comet because of elongated path, is actually an asteroid as it has no tails made of gas and dust, a key characteristic of comets. Most objects follow an elliptical pattern and orbit around the sun, however this asteroid is going extremely fast at about 98,000 miles per hour, causing an altered path. It’s strange trajectory is considered a hyperbolic orbit, signifying that this asteroid has enough speed to escape the gravitational pull of the sun.
“This is the most extreme orbit I have ever seen,” said Davide Farnocchia, a scientist at NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies, in a statement. “It is going extremely fast and on such a trajectory that we can say with confidence that this object is on its way out of the solar system and not coming back.”
Due to its high speed, scientists are trying to obtain all the information they can about the asteroid and its origins before it exits our solar system and is no longer able to be seen with telescopes. “We immediately started studying it that night with the William Herschel Telescope in the Canary Islands, then on Thursday night with the Very Large Telescope in Chile," says Alan Fitzsimmons, a professor studying the asteroid. They approximated it to be around 400 meters in diameter and are now attempting to find its rate of spin and exact shape. Moreover, researchers can get a better glimpse of its composition by examining the colors of light that are able to be absorbed and emitted by it. This will aid scientists in getting a better understanding of the makeup of other planetary systems.
This asteroid’s assigned title, A/2017 U1, was soon changed to the Hawaiian word “'Oumuamua” since it was first spotted by the Pan-STARRS Telescope in Hawaii. Gareth Williams from the Minor Planet Center states, “Due to the unique nature of this object, there is pressure to assign a name.” The title translates roughly to “messenger” or “scout.”
This extrasolar asteroid is a monumental scientific discovery which will help scientists gain further knowledge about the great mystery that is space. While 'Oumuamua teaches us that we still have much to learn about our universe, this asteroid finding is substantial progress that should not be ignored.
