Questions tagged [oumuamua]

Questions about 1I/2017 U1 (ʻOumuamua), an interstellar asteroid or comet that passed through the Solar System in 2017.

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Why would nitrogen or hydrogen outgassing from 'Oumuamua not be detected?

Some of the theories put forward to explain 'Oumuamuas behavior include it being a hydrogen or nitrogen iceberg. This could explain 'Oumuamua's non-gravitational accelleration as outgassing of ...
JanKanis's user avatar
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4 votes
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Can we get a picture of Oumuamua with Hubble Space Telescope?

Can we get a picture of Oumuamua with Hubble Space Telescope? If not, what are the reasons? Answers why other telescopes might fail to get a picture of Oumuamua are welcomed as well.
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6 votes
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Did Aliens make Oumuamua?

Dr. Avi Loeb, the distinguished astrophysicist and chair of Harvard's Astronomy Program, just published a book called Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth. In the book, Dr....
Connor Garcia's user avatar
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Is there a reason two interstellar objects were found in the solar system in such a short period of time?

ʻOumuamua was discovered on October 19, 2017, and 2I/Borisov was discovered on August 30, 2019. Has something changed about observation techniques or equipment that made it possible to find these ...
Bob516's user avatar
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4 votes
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If we've only observed Oumuamua as a single pixel, how can we know its shape?

On a separate Oumuamua question (Oumuamua alien space junk?), I was confused how shape could be inferred from a single pixel, per another user's (@Uwe) comment. It was suggested I ask this question ...
Coldblackice's user avatar
6 votes
0 answers
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What's the number density of `Oumuamua like objects?

Recently, the fly-through the Solar system of the inter-stellar object (ISO) `Oumuamua caused quite a stir in the astronomy community. I wonder whether there are reliable estimates for the (local) ...
Walter's user avatar
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What's the soonest Oumuamua could return? [closed]

Oumuamua is apparently a cigar-shaped asteroid that recently passed through the solar system on an unusual orbit, exhibiting unexpected acceleration. Oumuamua is known to have fairly minimal powers ...
it's a hire car baby's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
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Determining the shape of ʻOumuamua via stellar occultation

As far as I know, our current knowledge regarding the exact shape and size of ʻOumuamua is based on the analysis of its light curve and the assumption that it has a uniform albedo. ʻOumuamua is very ...
toniedzwiedz's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
176 views

What were the odds that ʻOumuamua passed so close to the Sun?

ʻOumuamua passed its closest point at about 0.25 UA from the Sun. Has anyone researched what the odds were that the first ever spotted interstellar object passed so close to the Sun? Being the ...
kYuZz's user avatar
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12 votes
2 answers
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After Oumuamua passage, has an "urgency" telescope time request procedure been set up?

During the rapid passing of ʻOumuamua through our solar system, it was difficult to get instant telescope time. Usually, formal requests and a review process are necessary before telescope time is ...
Everyday Astronaut's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
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What is the angle between the planes of Oumuamua's hyperbola and the Milky Way Galaxy?

Viewing the animations of Oumuamua passing through the solar system, it is apparent that the plane of its hyperbola departs from the plane of the ecliptic by a large amount. The plane of the ecliptic ...
James Bowery's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
405 views

How did astronomers determine the path of 'Oumuamua so quickly?

The interstellar asteroid 'Oumuamua was discovered on October 19, 2017. Once discovered, less than a month's worth of precovery observations were found on various sky surveys. By mid-November, ...
jkade's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
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Is Oumuamua tumbling?

given that everyone wonders whether there is a chance that there is something to oumuamua that is not natural, what about tumbling (and/or aiming?)? is there a natural gravitational or other force ...
ivo Welch's user avatar
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When would Oumuamua have entered the solar system?

So from what I've read, Oumuamua travels at around 26km/s when in interstellar space. I also remember reading a while back that Voyager was travelling at around <...
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4 votes
1 answer
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Potential formation mechanisms of the interstellar asteroid 'Oumuamua

NASA recently discovered 'Oumuamua, an interstellar asteroid that appears to have a very elongated shape, unseen in solar system asteroids. What physical mechanisms, in the progenitor stellar system ...
christopherlovell's user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
238 views

Since when are we able to discover interstellar objects similar to 1I/ʻOumuamua?

Since when are our observation capabilities good enough to discover objects similar to the first discovered interstellar object 1I/ʻOumuamua (October 2017) with high probability? Could we make rough ...
pabouk - Ukraine stay strong's user avatar