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The first interstellar object to be detected in a pbadage through the solar system last year is apparently indeed a comet. This is the conclusion of a group of astronomers after detailed observations with the Hubble Space Telescope and other ground-based instruments.
Named after Oumuamua, this interstellar vagabond was discovered in October 2017, after circling the Sun and taking the exit of our planetary system. At first, by trajectory, it was supposed to be a comet. Additional observations, however, found no evidence of typically cometary activity, such as gas and dust ejection. It was then speculated that it was an asteroid.
Concretely, only the fact that Oumuamua had come from outside the solar system and was leaving after a brief visit, never to return.
Scientists observed how much they could from him, in order to try to determine its exact form, composition, and trajectory. It was found to have an unusually elongated shape.
The group led by Marco Micheli of the European Space Agency (ESA) found that the trajectory of the object could not be entirely attributed to gravity. There is an extra force acting in the opposite direction to the Sun, and it has slowly changed course
It is a typical behavior of comets, when their ice sublimates and is ejected as a gas.
So, at this point, the best bet is that "Oumuamua is a comet that has been expelled from another planetary system and ended up coming here.
The result was published in the latest issue of Nature magazine, and despite its strength leaves a certain degree of frustration. With the star moving away at high speed, the chances of seeing it in more detail in the future are virtually nil. It remains to wait for the discovery of the next object of the type, and see what he has in store for us.
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