Another Interstellar Asteroid? 2015 BZ509 Update 05/21/2018 | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Our solar system is not isolated, but actively exchanges material with other star systems, as seen in the discovery of interstellar asteroids such as Oumuamua and 2015 BZ509.

Key Insights

• 🤩 Our solar system actively exchanges material with other star systems, challenging the notion of isolation.
• 🫤 Asteroid 2015 BZ509, captured 4.5 billion years ago, may be of interstellar origin, offering insights into the early formation of the solar system.
• 🛰️ The retrograde orbit and interaction with Jupiter make asteroid 2015 BZ509 a unique object for study.
• 🪐 The possibility of undiscovered planets in the far reaches of the solar system raises the potential for interstellar planets.
• 🤩 Objects from Earth's early history may have been ejected from the solar system, leading to speculation about the discovery of such materials in other star systems.
• 🪡 The presence of interstellar asteroids suggests the need for further exploration and study of our own solar system.
• 🛰️ Strange anomalies in distant object orbits could indicate the presence of one or more large undiscovered planets.

Transcript

One of the more interesting developments over the last few years in astronomy is the realization that our solar system is not some isolated backwater, as it used to generally be seen, but rather a dynamic part of the Milky Way Galaxy actively taking part in the mix so to speak and actively exchanging material with other star systems. Part of this m... Read More

Questions & Answers

Q: What is the significance of the discovery of interstellar asteroids in our solar system?

The discovery of interstellar asteroids suggests that our solar system actively exchanges material with other star systems, providing a unique opportunity to study and understand the dynamics of the Milky Way Galaxy.

Q: How was the interstellar origin of asteroid 2015 BZ509 determined?

By analyzing its orbit and tracing it back in time, scientists concluded that asteroid 2015 BZ509 must be of interstellar origin, as its orbit has remained unchanged for 4.5 billion years.

Q: What are the peculiar characteristics of asteroid 2015 BZ509?

Asteroid 2015 BZ509 has a retrograde orbit, meaning it orbits in the opposite direction of most other objects in the solar system. It also shares the same speed and orbit as Jupiter, but in a retrograde manner.

Q: What does the presence of interstellar asteroids suggest about the abundance of such objects?

The discovery of interstellar asteroids like Oumuamua and 2015 BZ509 suggests that objects from outside our solar system are likely not rare, and that our solar system may serve as a geological sampling of the galaxy.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Our solar system is not isolated, but exchanges material with other star systems.

• Asteroid 2015 BZ509, captured 4.5 billion years ago, may be of interstellar origin.

• The asteroid has a retrograde orbit and orbits at the same speed and in the same orbit as Jupiter.