Outer Space Object Is a Cookie-shaped Part of a Planet
2021-03-24
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1A new study says a mysterious, cookie-shaped object that entered our solar system likely broke off from a distant planet.
2Arizona State University astronomers reported earlier this month that the strange 45-meter object appears to be made of frozen nitrogen.
3The study's writers, Alan Jackson and Steven Desch, think a powerful force knocked a piece off an icy nitrogen-covered planet 500 million years ago.
4The piece was pushed out of its own star system toward ours.
5The reddish object is believed to be much different than its original self, with outer parts greatly affected by radiation and the sun.
6The object is called Oumuamua, a Hawaiian word that means "messenger from afar."
7It is named for the observatory in Hawaii that discovered it in 2017.
8Oumuamua was first seen as only a small bit of light millions of kilometers away.
9It was found to have come from beyond our solar system because its speed and path suggested it was not orbiting the sun or anything else.
10The only other object confirmed to have come from another star system into our own is the comet 2I/Borisov, discovered in 2019.
11Oumuamua looked like an asteroid but sped along like a comet.
12Unlike a comet, however, it did not have a visible tail.
13Scientists could not agree on whether it was an asteroid or a comet.
14Some even suggested it may have been linked to alien life.
15"Everybody is interested in aliens, and it was inevitable that this first object outside the solar system would make people think of aliens," Desch said in a statement.
16"But it's important in science not to jump to conclusions."
17Jackson and Desch created computer models that helped them find that Oumuamua was most likely a piece of nitrogen ice.
18They also found that the object was being slowly worn down over time.
19Their two papers were published by the American Geophysical Union.
20They were also presented at the Lunar and Planetary Sciences Conference, which was held online earlier this year.
21When Oumuamua was closest to Earth, it appeared to have a width six times larger than its thickness.
22That is about the same as one half of an Oreo cookie, Desch noted.
23Oumuamua is now more than 3.2 billion kilometers away and too small to be seen, even by the Hubble Space Telescope.
24As a result, Jackson said, astronomers will need to depend on the original observations to continue studying it.
25Desch noted that the object will continue to become thinner as it moves through space.
26He said in an email that by the time Oumuamua starts leaving our solar system around 2040, it will be "as flat as a pancake."
27I'm Jonathan Evans.
1A new study says a mysterious, cookie-shaped object that entered our solar system likely broke off from a distant planet. 2Arizona State University astronomers reported earlier this month that the strange 45-meter object appears to be made of frozen nitrogen. 3The study's writers, Alan Jackson and Steven Desch, think a powerful force knocked a piece off an icy nitrogen-covered planet 500 million years ago. The piece was pushed out of its own star system toward ours. The reddish object is believed to be much different than its original self, with outer parts greatly affected by radiation and the sun. 4The object is called Oumuamua, a Hawaiian word that means "messenger from afar." It is named for the observatory in Hawaii that discovered it in 2017. 5Oumuamua was first seen as only a small bit of light millions of kilometers away. It was found to have come from beyond our solar system because its speed and path suggested it was not orbiting the sun or anything else. 6The only other object confirmed to have come from another star system into our own is the comet 2I/Borisov, discovered in 2019. 7Oumuamua looked like an asteroid but sped along like a comet. Unlike a comet, however, it did not have a visible tail. Scientists could not agree on whether it was an asteroid or a comet. Some even suggested it may have been linked to alien life. 8"Everybody is interested in aliens, and it was inevitable that this first object outside the solar system would make people think of aliens," Desch said in a statement. "But it's important in science not to jump to conclusions." 9Jackson and Desch created computer models that helped them find that Oumuamua was most likely a piece of nitrogen ice. They also found that the object was being slowly worn down over time. 10Their two papers were published by the American Geophysical Union. They were also presented at the Lunar and Planetary Sciences Conference, which was held online earlier this year. 11When Oumuamua was closest to Earth, it appeared to have a width six times larger than its thickness. That is about the same as one half of an Oreo cookie, Desch noted. 12Oumuamua is now more than 3.2 billion kilometers away and too small to be seen, even by the Hubble Space Telescope. As a result, Jackson said, astronomers will need to depend on the original observations to continue studying it. 13Desch noted that the object will continue to become thinner as it moves through space. He said in an email that by the time Oumuamua starts leaving our solar system around 2040, it will be "as flat as a pancake." 14I'm Jonathan Evans. 15Marcia Dunn reported on this story for the Associated Press. Jonathan Evans adapted this story for Learning English. Bryan Lynn was the editor. 16_______________________________________________________________ 17Words in This Story 18original - adj. existing since the beginning 19asteroid - n. a space rock, either small or the size of a large moon, that orbits the sun 20comet - n. an outer space object made of material like gas and ice which is left behind in its orbit as it approaches the sun 21inevitable - adj. something that cannot be avoided or prevented 22jump to conclusions - v. to guess the facts about a situation without having a lot of information 23pancake - n. a thin, flat bread-like food that is cooked in a pan