In October of 2017, astronomers in Hawaii spotted an object they called 'Oumuamua, which means 'a messenger from afar arriving first,' according to NASA.
"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.As this water ice warms up, its structure begins to rearrange, she says, and"you lose your pockets for hiding hydrogen. You can form channels or cracks within the water ice as parts of it are sort of compacting.
"What a lot of people don't realize is that in order to get a good spectrum to detect the gas, you usually have to have a pretty bright comet," she says."And 'Oumuamua was not bright." To her, the most compelling mystery about this object remains its shape."It was so elongated," she says. In 2024, the new Vera C. Rubin Observatory should come online and open up a floodgate."They're predicting maybe one interstellar object a year," she says.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Scientists think they know why interstellar object 'Oumuamua moved so strangelyA strange comet-like object discovered over 5 years ago was the first known visitor from another solar system. Its movement though space was so odd that scientists struggled to explain it, until now.
Read more »
Scientists think they know why interstellar object 'Oumuamua moved so strangelyScientists 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 👽.
Read more »
COVID-origins study links raccoon dogs to Wuhan market: what scientists thinkSome scientists say the analysis provides new evidence supporting the hypothesis that the virus that causes COVID-19 spilled over from an animal — but falls short of definitive proof.
Read more »
Was ’Oumuamua, the First Known Interstellar Object, Less Weird Than We Thought?A new study suggests that ’Oumuamua, the mysterious visitor that whizzed through our solar system in 2017, may have been merely a small comet from another star
Read more »