Wait for Planet X!

Avatar MIA

:eek:https://www.rte.ie/news/2017/1121/921692-astronomers-spot-interstellar-asteroid-for-first-time/

First time interstellar asteroid observed. It's likely mankind will either have explored new worlds or will be extinct the next time this object visits.

How stratospherically astounding would it be if a rogue planet wandered in :eek:

mickmackey1

This NASA article is pretty awesome -

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7006&utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=NASAJPL&utm_content=daily20171120-3

Honestly the combination of unlikely circumstances make this one of the most astounding objects ever discovered.

Avatar MIA

mickmackey1 wrote: »

This NASA article is pretty awesome -

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7006&utm_source=iContact&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=NASAJPL&utm_content=daily20171120-3

Honestly the combination of unlikely circumstances make this one of the most astounding objects ever discovered.

I want to work for the Planetary Defense Coordination Office

endacl

mickmackey1 wrote: »

Honestly the combination of unlikely circumstances make this one of the most astounding objects ever discovered.

Which is exactly what an alien visitor would say if they ever came here and witnessed a total eclipse.

Space rocks!

Avatar MIA

endacl wrote: »

Which is exactly what an alien visitor would say if they ever came here and witnessed a total eclipse.

Yeah, a relatively rare event I imagine, where the moon and sun just about cover each other.

ThunderCat

So is it the trajectory and path it is on that confirms this thing as being from beyond our solar system? Very interesting by the way, I'm just curious as to how they know it in not part of our local system.

Avatar MIA

ThunderCat wrote: »

So is it the trajectory and path it is on that confirms this thing as being from beyond our solar system? Very interesting by the way, I'm just curious as to how they know it in not part of our local system.

That's it, they tracked it's trajectory and it isn't revolving around the sun.

mickmackey1

endacl wrote: »

Which is exactly what an alien visitor would say if they ever came here and witnessed a total eclipse.

Space rocks!

Total Eclipse -
Moon 400 times smaller than Sun, 400 times closer. Okayyy...

Alien craft 'Oumuamua
Travels ~millions of AU, approaches Sun to within .25 AU
Travels ~millions of AU, approaches Earth to within .15 AU
Does not exhibit cometary behaviour, although twice as close to the Sun as Mercury
First interstellar object after hundreds of years of observation.
Unique aspect ratio of 1:10 - no other asteroid (out of 750,000) exhibits a light curve swing of 2.5

So maybe a bit more unusual than an eclipse

Avatar MIA

mickmackey1 wrote: »

Total Eclipse -
Moon 400 times smaller than Sun, 400 times closer. Okayyy...

Alien craft 'Oumuamua
Travels ~millions of AU, approaches Sun to within .25 AU
Travels ~millions of AU, approaches Earth to within .15 AU
Does not exhibit cometary behaviour, although twice as close to the Sun as Mercury
First interstellar object after hundreds of years of observation.
Unique aspect ratio of 1:10 - no other asteroid (out of 750,000) exhibits a light curve swing of 2.5

So maybe a bit more unusual than an eclipse

Alien craft :D:D:):):):confused:eek::eek::eek::(:(:(

ps200306

It's the monolith out of 2001 A Space Odyssey. Just one of the film props Kubrick lost when he was up there faking the moon landings.

mickmackey1

If it is a missile, there are likely to be more on the way - as they know one won't get the job done...

dbran

Wait until they see it turn round and head straight for us :eek::eek::eek:

Four Phucs Ache

"However, it took so long for the interstellar object to make the journey - even at the speed of about 59,000 miles per hour (26.4 kilometers per second) -- that Vega was not near that position when the asteroid was there about 300,000 years ago."


I really really really really want a documentary with Brian Cox made around space and time using this object as the study.

rolion

Avatar MIA wrote: »

Alien craft :D:D:):):):confused: eek:: (:(

more H E R E

Avatar MIA

rolion wrote: »

more H E R E

What is it about Aliens and their fascination with probes?

mickmackey1

Here's the best image of it, a point source with no gas or dust. Baffling when you consider how close it got to the Sun -

Avatar MIA

mickmackey1 wrote: »

Here's the best image of it, a point source with no gas or dust. Baffling when you consider how close it got to the Sun -

How is that different to any asteroid - it may have passed by its own sun numerous times before being ejected into interstellar space, and lost it's ice covering.

mickmackey1

Avatar MIA wrote: »

How is that different to any asteroid - it may have passed by its own sun numerous times before being ejected into interstellar space, and lost it's ice covering.

The odds of the same asteroid passing within the frost-line of two different stars light-years apart, are about the same as winning the lottery 2 weeks in a row.

Avatar MIA

mickmackey1 wrote: »

The odds of the same asteroid passing within the frost-line of two different stars light-years apart, are about the same as winning the lottery 2 weeks in a row.

isn't this likely to have been orbiting its own star for a time (possibly billions of years) before being ejected out of it's originating solar system?

Why is it not likely an already formed asteroid was ejected from its own solar system?

endacl

mickmackey1 wrote: »

Total Eclipse -
Moon 400 times smaller than Sun, 400 times closer. Okayyy...

Alien craft 'Oumuamua
Travels ~millions of AU, approaches Sun to within .25 AU
Travels ~millions of AU, approaches Earth to within .15 AU
Does not exhibit cometary behaviour, although twice as close to the Sun as Mercury
First interstellar object after hundreds of years of observation.
Unique aspect ratio of 1:10 - no other asteroid (out of 750,000) exhibits a light curve swing of 2.5

So maybe a bit more unusual than an eclipse

A bit more unusual to us, certainly, but as a phenomenon, possibly not.

Take us as observers out of your thinking. The fact that the moon’s observed diameter is 400 times smaller than that of the sun and it is coincidentally 400 times closer, with the moon’s orbit periodically crossing the ecliptic, is mathematically so improbable as to probably be unique.

On the other hand, an interstellar traveller being caught up in the dynamics of our solar system, while rare, undoubtedly does happen. This is evidenced by the fact that it has happened.

‘Hundreds of years of observation’ is a little disingenuous, by the way. In terms of the technology required to observe such an object, we’re actually talking ‘decades of observation’.

mickmackey1

Avatar MIA wrote: »

isn't this likely to have been orbiting its own star for a time (possibly billions of years) before being ejected out of it's originating solar system?

Why is it not likely an already formed asteroid was ejected from its own solar system?

The longer it remains around it's own star, the less likely it is to be ejected. Something rare like a supernova or marauding star would be required. And that's without mentioning the unique 1:10 aspect ratio.

mickmackey1

endacl wrote: »

A bit more unusual to us, certainly, but as a phenomenon, possibly not.

Take us as observers out of your thinking. The fact that the moon’s observed diameter is 400 times smaller than that of the sun and it is coincidentally 400 times closer, with the moon’s orbit periodically crossing the ecliptic, is mathematically so improbable as to probably be unique.

Nope, there are numerous chances... 390 times smaller 390 times closer, 410 times smaller 410 times closer etc etc. And its not an exact match anyway, usually the full moon covers more or less than 100% of the Sun. And with planets and moons condensing from the same disc of material, the chances that one will cross the ecliptic are not low at all.

‘Hundreds of years of observation’ is a little disingenuous, by the way. In terms of the technology required to observe such an object, we’re actually talking ‘decades of observation’.

Not really, thousands of comets have been observed for hundreds of years, but none of them interstellar. We needed high technology to observe this object, but at least one other should have been large and bright enough to have been seen by now.

endacl

Yeah ok grand. You win the internet so.

I suppose you’d be including 1 time smaller and 1 time closer? For the win, like?

mickmackey1

endacl wrote: »

Yeah ok grand. You win the internet so.

I suppose you’d be including 1 time smaller and 1 time closer? For the win, like?

So you're going to ignore everything else I said because you haven't got a clue how to respond?

dbran

mickmackey1 wrote: »

The odds of the same asteroid passing within the frost-line of two different stars light-years apart, are about the same as winning the lottery 2 weeks in a row.

Perhaps but not inconceivable as every star would have a frost line that would be different based on its luminosity. For example the suns frost line today is somewhere in the asteroid belt but when it is in its red giant phase it will be way out beyond the orbit of Pluto in the Kuiper belt.

dbran

mickmackey1

dbran wrote: »

Perhaps but not inconceivable as every star would have a frost line that would be different based on its luminosity. For example the suns frost line today is somewhere in the asteroid belt but when it is in its red giant phase it will be way out beyond the orbit of Pluto in the Kuiper belt.

dbran

Not inconceivable just not what was predicted. Anyway its volatiles are of secondary importance to its aspect ratio.

Zubeneschamali

endacl wrote: »

On the other hand, an interstellar traveller being caught up in the dynamics of our solar system, while rare, undoubtedly does happen. This is evidenced by the fact that it has happened.

I saw at least one article saying that given the long odds of us spotting an interstellar asteroid like this, there is probably at least one in system at any given time, so not rare at all, in fact a constant occurrence.

4068ac1elhodqr

Lots of reports recently of sonic booms and fireballs. Also increase in quakes and volcanic activity, perhaps Wormwood(x) is making some sort of approach.

AreWeAlone

Zubeneschamali wrote: »

I saw at least one article saying that given the long odds of us spotting an interstellar asteroid like this, there is probably at least one in system at any given time, so not rare at all, in fact a constant occurrence.

Yeah but I read this one has a different shape to all the other local asteroids (a million?). So that sounds rare to me.

4068ac1elhodqr

Scientist say Oumuamua (the flying cigar thing) is to be ping'd on Wednesday for any possible technology on board:
They can detect 'any artificial technology' on it as small as a mobile phone (via the Green Bank telescope) and will scan across 4 transmission bands.



The body arrived from interstellar space and reached a peak speed of 196,000 mph as it swept past the sun, it has an interestingly unusual 400:1 ratio.

“The chances that we’ll hear something are very small, but if we do, we will report it immediately and then try to interpret it,” Loeb (Harvard chap) said. “It would be 'prudent' just to check and look for signals

Somehow doubt they'll tell many folks if there's as much a a sonar blip from the rock.
Instead they'll point all the earth's hot ICM's to it, and start digging holes to hide in.

There is some announcement due soon enough from the space nerds, but that probably relates to sending an AI-bot with Alexia's voice, out some blue and green dot way over on the other side of the universe.

ThunderCat

The announcement you refer to Accumulator is one by NASA this coming Thursday informing us of the latest batch of Earth type exoplanets detected by Kepler as far as I know.