Scientists discovered the first known object from another solar system five years ago. But its movement through space was so odd that scientists struggled to explain it — until now. Hint: it's not 👽.
"Hearing about some of the explanations that people had come up with to explain the strange properties with 'Oumuamua sort of piqued my interest," says Bergner.
It turns out, this actually could account for the observed acceleration, says Bergner, who notes that the kind of"amorphous" water ice found in space has a kind of"fluffy" structure that contains empty pockets where gas can collect. But she still thinks it's possible that 'Oumuamua is just a regular, ordinary comet that released enough water, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide to account for the acceleration, and astronomers just didn't detect it.
Still, she's very pleased that so many different people have been drawn to trying to figure out this interstellar visitor, even though 'Oumuamua is now so far off that can't be observed anymore. "It's just that we don't see them," she explains."They're either small, they're dark, or they're not in a position where you can point telescopes."
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