21 November 2017
First interstellar asteroid looks nothing like expected
...encounter with the Sun. Known as 1I/2017 U1 (`Oumuamua) or just `Oumuamua for short, the object, first detected by the...the faintest hint of dust around it.” These features suggest that `Oumuamua is dense, and lacks significant amounts of water or ice....
13 September 2019
Newly discovered comet could be our second interstellar visitor
...Borisov) has in common with our first cosmic tourist, ’Oumuamua. ’Oumuamua lacked the tell-tale signs of a coma and was ... the comet will generate just as much interest. "Unlike 'Oumuamua, whose asteroid-or-comet nature still gets debated, this one is...
20 April 2020
New research shows interstellar visitor 21/Borisov is not your average comet
... to probe the chemical composition of the comet’s nucleus, however, no detectable levels of gas or dust were detected for ’Oumuamua. Comet 2I/Borisov on the other hand has turned out to be a more traditional type of comet; a condensed ball of gas...
17 October 2019
Hubble gets a good look at interstellar visitor Comet 2I/Borisov
...the first identified interstellar visitor, an object dubbed ‘Oumuamua, swung within 38 million kilometres of the Sun before racing ... between the Earth and the Sun. 2I/Borisov and ‘Oumuamua are only the beginning of the discoveries of interstellar objects...
23 May 2018
First permanent extrasolar asteroid found near Jupiter
... Sun. Named after an Hawaiian word meaning ‘scout’, Oumuamua, brushed past the Earth before making its exit as it returned ...in the direction it came from. Oumuamua however was just that - a visitor briefly passing through before ...
29 June 2018
All things asteroid: Who, What, Where and When
...appeared on our radar late last year in November 2017. `Oumuamua, our planet’s first interstellar visitor shook up our idea of...However, just this week a new study has found that `Oumuamua is moving away from the Sun faster than expected, implying that...
24 April 2020
A population of interstellar asteroids has been found hiding between Jupiter and Neptune
Interstellar visitors ‘Oumuamua and comet 21/Borisov are not alone in our... travellers started life elsewhere. But, unlike the recently identified interstellar visitors ‘Oumuamua, and comet 21/Borisov, which are just passing through our Solar System ...
19 May 2021
Scientists unexpectedly find heavy metal vapour in comets throughout our Solar System, and beyond
... gaseous nickel has also been detected surrounding comet 2I/Borisov, the second observed interstellar interloper after ʻOumuamua. Ranging in size from a few hundred meters to loosely packed balls of ice and dust tens of kilometers across...
02 January 2018
2017 - What a year!
2017 was a remarkable year for all things astronomical and for the rocket and satellite industry. We said a sad farewell to one of the most distinguished planetary missions of our time - Cassini. However we also said hello to the first interstellar ...
June 2018
Cosmic communications and the anthropology of outer space
... would structure future searches for intelligence elsewhere. Unfortunately, the exotically shaped space object ‘Oumuamua that Breakthrough Listen helped monitor in December 2017 is unlikely to be an alien spacecraft. Another possibility, Wertheimer...
18 September 2019
Researchers calculate feasibility of sending a probe to C/2019 Q4 (Borisov)
...2019 Q4 (Borisov) is the second such interstellar object to be identified whizzing through the Solar System; the first, 'Oumuamua, was spotted in 2017. Given the (relatively) quick succession of these discoveries, it is not unreasonable to think that...
26 June 2020
Giant ‘Exotica’ catalogue boosts search for alien life
... is currently not satisfactorily explained. For instance, the famous ‘Tabby's Star’ with its bizarre dimming behaviour; ‘Oumuamua’ - the interstellar object that passed near Earth in 2017; unexplained optical pulses that last mere nanoseconds...
21 June 2019
ESA's new mission to intercept a comet
..., but now it is time to build upon their successes and visit a pristine comet, or be ready for the next ‘Oumuamua-like interstellar object.” What is a Fast mission? Comet Interceptor is a ‘fast’, or F-class mission. The ‘fast’ refers to the...
