Called A11PL3Z, he does not present a risk of collision with the earth, said to AFP the head of the planetary defense of ESA, Richard Moissl: “He will fly deep into the solar system, passing just in the orbit of Mars. »»
Astronomers are still specifying their calculations, but its speed seems to exceed 60 kilometers per second, more than 200,000 km/h.
This means that it is not linked to the orbit of the sun, unlike the comets and asteroids which all come from the interior of the solar system.
His trajectory also “indicates that he is not in orbit around the sun, but comes from the interstellar space and will return there,” according to Mr. Moissl.
“We are not 100 % sure for the moment, but any other result would be a surprise,” he said.
Official confirmation of its characteristics is expected from the center of minor planets of the international astronomical union, which has recorded more than 100 object observations by astronomers.
Based in Hawaii (United States), the ATLAS asteroid surveillance project funded by NASA (American space agency) discovered the object on Tuesday, wrote American astronomer David Rankin on the Bluesky social network.
Professional astronomers and amateurs from around the world then searched in the data recorded by the telescopes, reconstructing its trajectory until June 14.
The size of the object is currently estimated at 10 to 20 km in diameter. But it could be smaller if it is made up of ice, which more reflects light.
“He will shine more and more and approach the sun until the end of October, and will still be observable (by telescope) until next year,” said Moissl.
Third interstellar visitor
If its nature is officially confirmed, it would be the third object never observed from the interstellar space.
The first, Oumaumua, had been detected in 2017. It was so strange that at least a renowned scientist had finally convinced himself that it was an extraterrestrial vessel – his theory has since been denied by additional research.
The second interstellar racing car, 2i/Borisov, was detected in 2019.
A11PL3Z appears to “move much faster than the first two extra-solar objects that had been discovered,” Mark Norris told AFP, astronomer at the British University of Central Lancashire.
The object is currently almost at the same distance from the earth as Jupiter, according to Mr. Norris.
He deplored that he could not observe A11PL3z Wednesday evening in his telescope on Wednesday evening, because he is currently visible only in the southern hemisphere.
According to modeling, he says, there are up to 10,000 interstellar objects circulating at any time in the solar system, most of which would be smaller than the freshly discovered object.
If these models are correct, this means that the new VERA C. Rubin observatory, located in Chile, could soon discover small interstellar travelers every month, says Mark Norris.
Richard Moissl explained that it is impossible to send a space mission to intercept the new object.
But such an event nevertheless offers scientists a rare opportunity to study bodies from outside the solar system.
For example, if observations make it possible to detect pioneers of life on such an object, such as amino acids, this will give researchers “much more confidence in the fact that the conditions for the appearance of life exist in other stellar systems”, according to Mr. Norris.
