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Schneider (2018) explored the possibility that 'Oumuamua is a Solar System object, and concluded that if it is, it must have been scattered by "another, yet unknown planet." I provide an extremely conservative upper limit on post-scattering…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2017-12-19 Jason T. Wright

Interstellar radar is a potential intermediate step between passive observation of exoplanets and interstellar exploratory missions. Compared to passive observation, it has the traditional advantages of radar astronomy. It can measure…

Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics · Physics 2015-06-12 Louis K. Scheffer

Light curve observations of a recently discovered interstellar object 1I/`Oumuamua suggest that this object has an extremely elongated shape with the axis ratio 0.3 or smaller. Planetesimal collisions can produce irregular shapes including…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2019-04-03 Keisuke Sugiura , Hiroshi Kobayashi , Shu-ichiro Inutsuka

Advanced civilizations capable of interstellar travel, if they exist, are likely to have advanced propulsion methods. Spaceships moving at high speeds would leave a particular signature which could be detected from Earth. We propose a…

Popular Physics · Physics 2014-09-30 Juan Carlos Garcia-Escartin , Pedro Chamorro-Posada

Discovery of the first interstellar asteroid (ISA) - 1I/2017 'Oumuamua - raised a number of questions regarding its origin. Many of them relate to its lack of cometary activity, suggesting refractory composition of 'Oumuamua. Here we…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2018-07-11 Roman R. Rafikov

Using the "statite," or static-satelite, concept -- an artificial satellite capable of hovering in place using a solar sail -- this work proposes to create a dynamic orbital slingshot in anticipation of Interstellar Objects (ISOs) passing…

Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics · Physics 2020-12-25 Richard Linares , Damon Landau , Daniel Miller , Benjamin Weiss , Paulo Lozano

The detection of interstellar bodies passing near the Sun offers the opportunity to observe not just objects similar to those in the solar system, but also unfamiliar objects without solar system analogues. Here I show that Asymptotic Giant…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2020-01-03 T. Marshall Eubanks

The interstellar comet 2I/Borisov is the first interstellar object where compositional characterisation was possible throughout its entire perihelion passage. We report all 16 epochs of a comprehensive optical observation campaign with ESO…

We describe how the ESA Comet Interceptor mission, which is due to launch in 2028/29 to a yet-to-be-discovered target, can provide a conceptual basis for a future mission to visit an Interstellar Object. Comet Interceptor will wait in space…

Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics · Physics 2025-12-02 Colin Snodgrass , Marina Galand , Arnaud Beth , Charlotte Goetz , Abbie Donaldson , Cyrielle Opitom

The discovery of `Oumuamua and CNEOS 2014-01-08 allowed for a calibration of the impact rate of interstellar objects. We propose a new telescope in lunar orbit to study in real-time interstellar meteoroid impacts and to serve as a…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2020-05-20 Amir Siraj , Abraham Loeb

The first interstellar object observed in our solar system, 1I/`Oumuamua, exhibited several peculiar properties, including extreme elongation and non-gravitational acceleration. Bergner and Seligman (hereafter BS23) proposed that…

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Physics 2023-07-19 Thiem Hoang , Abraham Loeb

In this paper we consider efficiency of self-reproducing extraterrestrial Von-Neumann micro scale robots and analyse the observational characteristics. By examining the natural scenario of moving in the HII clouds, it has been found that…

Popular Physics · Physics 2020-05-13 Z. Osmanov

In 2012, Voyager 1 crossed the heliopause, becoming the first human-made object to exit the solar system. This milestone signifies the beginning of an important new era for local interstellar medium (LISM) exploration. We present…

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Physics 2018-06-22 Julia Zachary , Seth Redfield , Jeffrey L. Linsky , Brian E. Wood

The first interstellar object, 1I/2017 U1 (`Oumuamua), exhibited several unique properties, including an extreme aspect ratio, a lack of typical cometary volatiles, and a deviation from a Keplerian trajectory. Several authors have…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2021-10-20 Darryl Seligman , W. Garrett Levine , Samuel H. C. Cabot , Gregory Laughlin , Karen Meech

Investigating the bubbles generated by the interaction between asymptotic giant branch stellar outflows and the interstellar medium (ISM) is pivotal for elucidating the mechanism by which evolved low- to intermediate-mass stars enrich the…

Solar and Stellar Astrophysics · Physics 2025-09-30 Jun-Yang Liu , Yong Zhang , Xu-Jia Ouyang

Recent observations and detections of interstellar objects (ISOs) passing through the solar system have sparked a wave of interest into these objects. Although rare, these ISOs can be captured into bound orbits around the Sun. In this…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2023-08-09 Diptajyoti Mukherjee , Amir Siraj , Hy Trac , Abraham Loeb

Here, we explore some peculiar orbital features of the recently discovered asteroid A/2017 U1, which is a clear outlier when considering the average value of the eccentricity of known hyperbolic comets. As for the orientation of its orbit…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2017-11-02 C. de la Fuente Marcos , R. de la Fuente Marcos

To settle the question of the nature of the interstellar object 1I/'Oumuamua requires in-situ observations via a spacecraft, as the object is already out of range of existing telescopes. Most previous proposals for reaching 1I/'Oumuamua…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2022-08-17 Adam Hibberd , Andreas Hein , Marshall Eubanks , Robert Kennedy

The first known interstellar object, 1I/2017 U1 'Oumuamua, displayed such unusual properties that its origin remains a subject of much debate. We propose that 'Oumuamua's properties could be explained as those of a fractal dust aggregate (a…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2020-08-25 J. X. Luu , E. G. Flekkøy , R. Toussaint

We estimate the capture rate of interstellar objects by means of three-body gravitational interactions. We apply this model to the Sun-Jupiter system and the Alpha Centauri A\&B binary system, and find that the radius of the largest…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2018-10-16 Manasvi Lingam , Abraham Loeb