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.
When astronomers detected the first known interstellar object, 'Oumuamua, in 2017, it sparked a host of new studies trying to understand the origin and trajectory of the galactic sojourner.
Planetary Sciences
Feb 17, 2025
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The appearance of the interstellar objects (ISOs) 'Oumuamua and Comet Borisov in 2017 and 2019, respectively, created a surge of interest. What were they? Where did they come from? Unfortunately, they didn't stick around ...
Planetary Sciences
Feb 12, 2025
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219
In 2017, NASA discovered and later confirmed the first interstellar object to enter our solar system.
Astronomy
Dec 16, 2024
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60
We know that interstellar objects occasionally visit our solar system. So far, we have only discovered two interstellar objects (ISOs), but that's mainly because we can only distinguish them from solar system bodies by their ...
Astronomy
Dec 12, 2024
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92
The orbits of the planets around the sun have been the source for many a scientific debate. Their current orbital properties are well understood but the planetary orbits have evolved and changed since the formation of the ...
Astronomy
Dec 11, 2024
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64
When 'Oumuamua traversed our solar system in 2017 it was the first confirmed Interstellar Object (ISO) to do so. Then in 2019, Comet 2l/Borisov did the same thing. These are the only two confirmed ISOs to visit our solar ...
Planetary Sciences
Dec 5, 2024
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We have studied the skies for centuries, but we have only found two objects known to come from another star system. The first interstellar object to be confirmed was 1I/2017 U1, more commonly known as 'Oumuamua. It was discovered ...
Astronomy
Dec 2, 2024
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66
A NASA study using a series of supercomputer simulations reveals a potential new solution to a longstanding Martian mystery: How did Mars get its moons? The first step, the findings say, may have involved the destruction ...
Planetary Sciences
Nov 20, 2024
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