Scientists have spotted the first foreign object to fly in the atmosphere of our solar system, raising several questions about its origin.
The "red" red space rock traveled the Milky Way for hundreds of years, failing to join any astral system. Then, we reached our solar system to allow scientists to look at the first foreign object entering our region.
"For decades, we have been looking at the existence of such interstellar objects, and for the first time we have direct evidence of their existence," said Thomas Zoroboshen, associate director of NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.
"This historic discovery opens a new window to study the formation of solar systems beyond our solar system."
The Pan-STARR telescope in Hawaii, which aims to detect near-Earth objects, the asteroid, was observed on October 19, where it was a faint dot moving across the sky.
Observations and orbital calculations have shown that the body originated from outside the solar system without a doubt.
The Umumwa rock moved at 95,000 km / h. It was initially believed to have traveled from the bright star of Vega, 25 light-years away in the northern constellation of Lira. But scientists later speculated that the asteroid was a "rover" between the stars and reached our solar system by chance.
Observations made by various telescopes showed that the brightness of the asteroid varied greatly because it extended to its axis every 7.3 hours.
The characteristics of the asteroid indicate that it may be composed of heavy metals and lack large amounts of water or ice. Its red color results from the effect of cosmic rays over millions of years.
Astronomers estimate that interstellar asteroids pass through the inner solar system once a year, but are faint and difficult to detect immediately.
Interestingly, other telescopes, including the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and the massive telescope in Chile, have quickly published UFO studies.
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