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posted by Fnord666 on Wednesday November 22 2017, @03:01PM   Printer-friendly
from the ask-Sigmund-Freud dept.

For the first time ever astronomers have studied an asteroid that has entered the Solar System from interstellar space. Observations from ESO's Very Large Telescope in Chile and other observatories around the world show that this unique object was traveling through space for millions of years before its chance encounter with our star system. It appears to be a dark, reddish, highly-elongated rocky or high-metal-content object. The new results appear in the journal Nature on 20 November 2017.

On 19 October 2017, the Pan-STARRS 1 telescope in Hawai`i picked up a faint point of light moving across the sky. It initially looked like a typical fast-moving small asteroid, but additional observations over the next couple of days allowed its orbit to be computed fairly accurately. The orbit calculations revealed beyond any doubt that this body did not originate from inside the Solar System, like all other asteroids or comets ever observed, but instead had come from interstellar space. Although originally classified as a comet, observations from ESO and elsewhere revealed no signs of cometary activity after it passed closest to the Sun in September 2017. The object was reclassified as an interstellar asteroid and named 1I/2017 U1 (`Oumuamua)[1].

"We had to act quickly," explains team member Olivier Hainaut from ESO in Garching, Germany. "`Oumuamua had already passed its closest point to the Sun and was heading back into interstellar space."

... [1] The Pan-STARRS team’s proposal to name the interstellar objet[sic] was accepted by the International Astronomical Union, which is responsible for granting official names to bodies in the Solar System and beyond. The name is Hawaiian and more details are given here. The IAU also created a new class of objects for interstellar asteroids, with this object being the first to receive this designation. The correct forms for referring to this object are now: 1I, 1I/2017 U1, 1I/`Oumuamua and 1I/2017 U1 (`Oumuamua). Note that the character before the O is an okina. So, the name should sound like H O u mu a mu a. Before the introduction of the new scheme, the object was referred to as A/2017 U1.

http://eso.org/public/news/eso1737

-- submitted from IRC. See also here.


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  • (Score: 2) by arslan on Thursday November 23 2017, @12:27AM

    by arslan (3462) on Thursday November 23 2017, @12:27AM (#600442)

    Reminds me of this scene from Austin Powers:


    Johnson: [Noticing Dr. Evil's spaceship on radar] Colonel, you better have a look at this radar.
    Colonel: What is it, son?
    Johnson: I don't know, sir, but it looks like a giant--
    Jet Pilot: Dick.
    Dick: Yeah?
    Jet Pilot: Take a look out of starboard.
    Dick: Oh my God, it looks like a huge--
    Bird-Watching Woman: Pecker.
    Bird-Watching Man: [raising binoculars] Ooh, Where?
    Bird-Watching Woman: Wait, that's not a woodpecker, it looks like someone's--
    Army Sergeant: Privates! We have reports of an unidentified flying object. It has a long, smooth shaft, complete with--
    Baseball Umpire: Two balls.
    [looking up from game]
    Baseball Umpire: What is that. It looks just like an enormous--
    Chinese Teacher: Wang, pay attention!
    Wang: I was distracted by that giant flying--
    Musician: Willie.
    Willie Nelson: Yeah?
    Musician: What's that?
    Willie Nelson: [squints] Well, that looks like a giant--
    Colonel: Johnson?!
    Johnson: Yes, sir?
    Colonel: Get on the horn to British Intelligence and let them know about this.
    Later, as Dr. Evil is escaping: Basil: Did we get Dr. Evil?
    Johnson: No, sir. He got away in that rocket that looks like a huge--
    Schoolteacher: Penis. The male reproductive organ. Otherwise known as tallywhacker, schlong or--
    Dad: Weiner? Any of you kids want another weiner?
    Son: Dad? What's that? points at rocket
    Dad: I don't know, son, but it's got great big--
    Peanut seller: Nuts! Hot salty nuts! Who wants some-- Lord Almighty!
    Woman: That looks just like my husband's--
    Ringmaster: One-eyed monster! Step right up and see the One-Eyed Monster!
    One-eyed Monster: jumps out and scares crowd, then points to the rocket Hey, what's that? It looks like a big--
    female Fan: Woody! Woody Harrelson? Can I have an autograph?
    Woody Harrelson: Sure thing. [Sees rocket] Oh my lord.
    Female fan: It's big!
    Woody: Nah, I've seen bigger, it's--
    Dr. Evil: (To Mini-Me) Just a little prick. It's a flu shot. You've been in the coldness of space.

    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   2