In the last four years, astronomers have seen two visitors to the solar system from other parts of the galaxy. Both provided a wealth of data that would be studied for many years – and left scientists want more.
Interstellar viewers can give great insights into other star systems, but we need to find them first. Amir Siraj of Harvard University and Professor Avi Loeb conclude in the monthly circular of the Royal Astronomical Society that we should have plenty of opportunities. Siraj said in a statement, “Before the first stellar comet was identified, we did not know how many stellar objects there were in our solar system, but the theory of planetary system formation suggests that there should be fewer visitors than permanent inhabitants.”
“Now we find that there may be more visitors here.” We have only seen an interstellar comet and thousands of natives, creating the impression that visitors are deeply counter-intuitive than the natives. However, Siraj points out that the Ort cloud extends 160 trillion kilometers (100 trillion miles) from the Sun in each direction. The locals are close to the cluster, but the majority of visitors will pass by its outer edge without any chance of identification.
The possibility of rock and ice crossing Neptune’s orbit frequently and frequently is interesting, but of limited relevance. However, the paper goes further – suggesting that even within Saturn’s orbit, locals may have similar visitors. We can now identify many asteroids that do not pose a threat and do not determine their orbits. A lot of time can go by if someone tries to follow up. Siraj and Loeb’s calculations rely on the assumption of the possibility of detecting a tiny object that never comes close to the sun. If we find one, there must be many more, and they have tried to measure it. Borisov was 97 percent oxygen and carbon by mass. If the authors’ guess is correct, about 1 percent of these elements in the galaxy could be contained in objects floating in interstellar space, not connected to any stars. Theoretically, the possibility of finding a stellar comet dates back to the 18th century, when we began planning comet orbits. However, at that time only bright comets could be seen with the help of a few terrifying advanced telescopes to see the sky – all of which were indicative of coming from within the solar system.
