interstellar objects
When Stars Get Too Close to Each Other, They Cast Out Interstellar Comets and Asteroids
In October 2017, humanity caught its first-ever glimpse of an interstellar object - a visitor from beyond our solar system…
Interstellar Comet Borisov is so Pristine, it’s Probably Never Been Close to a Star Before
By comparing our local Comet Hale-Bopp to the interstellar visitor 2I/Borisov, a team of astronomers have concluded that the interloper…
Oumuamua Isn’t an Alien Probe, Because Aliens can Learn Everything They Need About us With Telescopes
A new study offers a new take on why 'Oumuamua could not have been an alien probe: a lack of…
There Should be About 7 Interstellar Objects Passing Through the Inner Solar System Every Year
A new study led by the Initiative for Interstellar Studies (i4is) has found that interstellar objects like 'Oumuamua visit our…
Earth and the Moon Might Have Captured an Old Upper Stage Rocket
According to NASA, an object detected between the Earth and Moon could actually be the spent stage of a rocket…
Vera Rubin Should be Able to Detect a Couple of Interstellar Objects a Month
A new study by Harvard astrophysicists tells us that once operational, the Vera C. Rubin will be able to spot…
We Have the Technology to Retrieve a Sample From an Interstellar Object Like Oumuamua
A white paper submitted to the 2023 - 2032 Decadal Survey recommends we create spacecraft that could rendezvous and take…
Interstellar Comet 2I/Borisov Formed in a Very Cold Environment
Using the ALMA array, astronomers were able to detect the chemical composition of an interstellar object as 2I/Borisov began releasing…
Interstellar Comet 2I/Borisov Appears to Have Broken in Half
In 2019, amateur astronomer Gennadiy Borisov discovered a comet, which now bears his name. There's a long history of amateur…
Riding the Wave of a Supernova to Go Interstellar
A new paper by two Harvard professors explores the idea of using supernova as a means of high-speed interstellar travel…