Wanderer from another system

Wanderer from another system

The recent span of 1I / 2017 U1 through our system allowed humanity to explore for the first time an object from another solar system. The telescope of the Kit-Pick National Observatory and the North Optical Telescope (Canary Islands) were used for the survey. The researchers noticed that in appearance the wanderer reminded our asteroids, which allows us to take a fresh look at the solar system.

Wanderer from another system

The image captured the span of U1. Weak lines - background stars. Green circles highlight the location of U1 in each picture. In the frames caught about 10 million stars, observed without the use of tools

U1 was noticed on October 18, 2017, after which they quickly recognized its hyperbolic orbit extending beyond our system. Accidental approach to the Earth was recorded with a Pan-STARRS telescope.

For 5 whole nights, scientists followed the WIYN 2.5-mm telescope and the La Palma 2.5-meter telescope. It turned out that the brightness changes with an 8-hour periodicity. According to its properties, it agrees with the characteristics of the asteroids of the solar system.

Due to changes in brightness, an assumption was made about the highly elongated shape of an object with parameters of 30 mx 30 mx 180 m.

Wanderer from another system

Same sequence of shots as above, but without indicative green circles. The elongated shape makes the object unusual. But it also surprises his close characteristics to ordinary asteroids and comets living in the territory of our system. They were not part of the planets and continued to rotate in more eccentric orbits. Some crashed into planetary objects, leaving craters, while others completely left the system.

Wanderer from another system

A series of exposures focused on U1. The light from the background stars creates blurry lines. Some seem to be cut off, because the camera is a mosaic of many small detectors. U1 is located below

The discovery of U1 is an important stage in research, able to confirm that planetary systems emit objects as they form. Then our system must be filled with such wanderers. It is believed that everyone flies through the system once every 10 years.

Wanderer from another system

Color image U1, created from observations using filters centered at 4750A, 6250A and 7500A

For future research, they plan to use the Big Synoptic Telescope. Most likely, scientists will be able to fix much more such violators.

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