Was ‘Oumuamua a Giant Space Cookie? - The Cosmic Companion March 21, 2021
A mysterious visitor to the solar system wasn't aliens - it was a cookie of nitrogen ice.
Oumuamua, seen in 2017, was the first known visitor from outside our solar system. What do we know about this massive space cookie?
In 2017, a massive object visiting our family of planets was spotted by astronomers at the Pan-STARRS observatory in Hawaii. Traveling at over 87 kilometers per second (196,000 MPH), it was obvious this body, 1I/2017 U1, was traveling at speeds showing it came from outside the solar system.
Nicknamed ‘Oumuamua, meaning “messenger” or “scout” in the Hawaiian language, this massive body likely came into our solar system from the direction of the constellation Lyra. Its behavior immediately caught the attention of astronomers worldwide.
“In many ways ‘Oumuamua resembled a comet, but it was peculiar enough in several ways that mystery surrounded its nature, and speculation ran rampant about what it was,” said Alan Desch, professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University (ASU).
New research finds this odd body likely broke off a Pluto-like world, prior to its close encounter with our own planetary system.
Read more: https://thecosmiccompanion.net/was-oumuamua-a-giant-space-cookie
Alan Jackson and Steven Desch of Arizona State University join us on Astronomy News with The Cosmic Companion for a double interview on March 30th, talking about their study of ‘Oumuamua. Join us then!
Coming Tuesday March 23 - Lawrence Krauss
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