Interstellar Asteroid A/2017 U1 Update for 11/07/2017 | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

A newly discovered interstellar asteroid called A/2017 U1 is being studied for its origin and characteristics.

Key Insights

• 👨‍🔬 The newly discovered interstellar asteroid A/2017 U1 is generating significant interest and research due to its potential origins outside our solar system.
• 🤩 One proposed origin for A/2017 U1 is the inner regions of a protoplanetary disc around a star in the Columba or Carina star associations.
• ☠️ Calculations suggest that interstellar objects passing through our solar system, like A/2017 U1, are relatively common, with a possible detection rate of one per year in the near future.
• 🙌 A/2017 U1 exhibits characteristics consistent with both a primitive object formed from a protoplanetary disc and an object exposed to cosmic rays in the interstellar medium.

Transcript

As might be expected given that it's passing through the solar system at breakneck speed, the story of the newly discovered suspected interstellar asteroid A/2017 U1 is developing rapidly. Since I made my first report on this object a few days ago at least four more papers have come out characterizing the object and trying to pin down its origin. T... Read More

Questions & Answers

Q: What evidence supports the claim that the interstellar asteroid A/2017 U1 is not from our solar system?

In a paper by Marcos and Marcos, the hyperbolic trajectory of A/2017 U1 is analyzed, strengthening the case that it originated from outside our solar system.

Q: Where do researchers propose A/2017 U1 may have originated from?

Eric Gaidos and colleagues suggest that A/2017 U1 could have formed in the inner regions of a protoplanetary disc around a star in the Columba or Carina star associations and was subsequently ejected by a planet in that system.

Q: How common are interstellar asteroids passing through our solar system?

According to calculations by David Trilling and colleagues, the probability of observing objects like A/2017 U1 passing through our solar system is relatively common, with an estimated detection rate of around 0.2 objects per year.

Q: What is the rotation period of A/2017 U1?

Matthew Knight and colleagues found that the rotation period of A/2017 U1 is at least five hours. They also observed no evidence of a coma, indicating that it is an asteroid rather than a comet.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Multiple papers have been published about the suspected interstellar asteroid A/2017 U1, characterizing its hyperbolic trajectory and supporting the evidence that it is not from our solar system.

• One possibility for the asteroid's origins is that it formed in the inner regions of a protoplanetary disc around a star in the Columba or Carina star associations and was ejected about 40 million years ago.

• The probability of observing objects like A/2017 U1 passing through our solar system is calculated to be relatively common, with an estimated detection rate of around 0.2 objects per year.