Interstellar objects as a research area focus on the detection, characterization, and dynamical analysis of solid bodies that originate outside a planetary system and traverse or enter another, such as the Solar System. This field integrates observational astronomy, celestial mechanics, planetary science, and astrochemistry to constrain their trajectories, compositions, sizes, shapes, rotational states, and possible formation environments. Research investigates their implications for planetesimal formation, mass loss from planetary systems, galactic dynamical processes, and the transfer of material between stellar systems, as well as optimizing observational strategies and instrumentation for their rapid identification and follow-up before they exit observational reach.
Since 2017, three interstellar objects have been spotted passing through our solar system: 1I/ʻOumuamua, 2I/Borisov… and just this month, 3I/ATLAS. Discovered on July 1 by the Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert Survey, ...
Planetary Sciences
Aug 4, 2025
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On July 1, astronomers spotted an unusual high-speed object zooming towards the sun. Dubbed 3I/ATLAS, the surprising space traveler had one very special quality: its orbit showed it had come from outside our solar system.
Astronomy
Jul 23, 2025
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Sometimes serendipity happens in science. Whether it's an apple falling from a tree or a melting chocolate bar, some of the world's greatest discoveries come from happy accidents, even if their stories may be apocryphal. ...
Astronomy
Jul 22, 2025
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Interstellar objects are visitors from solar systems beyond our own, and the third ever such object, known as 3I/ATLAS, has just been discovered. Using the Gemini North telescope, astronomers have captured 3I/ATLAS as it ...
Planetary Sciences
Jul 16, 2025
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A team of international astronomers, including a University of Michigan doctoral student, were the first to publish the discovery of just the third known interstellar object to visit our solar system on July 3.
Astronomy
Jul 15, 2025
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When the news started to spread on July 1, 2025, about a new object that was spotted from outside our solar system, only the third of its kind ever known, astronomers at Michigan State University—along with a team of international ...
Astronomy
Jul 11, 2025
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A mystery interstellar object discovered last week is likely to be the oldest comet ever seen—possibly predating our solar system by more than 3 billion years, researchers say.
Astronomy
Jul 11, 2025
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Astronomers manning an asteroid warning system caught a glimpse of a large, bright object zipping through the solar system late on July 1, 2025.
Astronomy
Jul 6, 2025
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NASA has discovered an interstellar comet that's wandered into our backyard.
Planetary Sciences
Jul 3, 2025
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Astronomers on Wednesday confirmed the discovery of an interstellar object racing through our solar system—only the third ever spotted, though scientists suspect many more may slip past unnoticed.
Astronomy
Jul 3, 2025
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