Posted on Mar 22, 2023
Scientists think they know why interstellar object 'Oumuamua moved so strangely
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Posted 1 y ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
...""It's just that we don't see them," she explains. "They're either small, they're dark, or they're not in a position where you can point telescopes."
In 2024, the new Vera C. Rubin Observatory should come online and open up a floodgate. "They're predicting maybe one interstellar object a year," she says.
That's a big deal, given that the closest star system to our own is over four light years away, and, with current technology, it would take thousands of years to send a probe there.
Meech notes that some researchers have already designed missions to intercept one of these interstellar travelers, which could contain clues about the composition of the star systems that formed them.
"I think what's important about this is to get all these creative ideas out there," says Meech. "If we ever get to have a mission to one of these objects, we now have a wealth of testable ideas."
...""It's just that we don't see them," she explains. "They're either small, they're dark, or they're not in a position where you can point telescopes."
In 2024, the new Vera C. Rubin Observatory should come online and open up a floodgate. "They're predicting maybe one interstellar object a year," she says.
That's a big deal, given that the closest star system to our own is over four light years away, and, with current technology, it would take thousands of years to send a probe there.
Meech notes that some researchers have already designed missions to intercept one of these interstellar travelers, which could contain clues about the composition of the star systems that formed them.
"I think what's important about this is to get all these creative ideas out there," says Meech. "If we ever get to have a mission to one of these objects, we now have a wealth of testable ideas."
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