This mystery object may be our first visitor from another solar system

Here we go -- the giant dog bone, lol --

Rosetta (spacecraft) - Wikipedia

File:Comet 67P on 19 September 2014 NavCam mosaic.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

What's the method to show this image? I tried using the Image button and copying the address into the box, but it just gives an X on screen.

majj27 said:

Bit small for the Mystery Planet. Maybe we should name it Mini-Nibi?

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It's been sick. Just think how you would feel if you had been zipping towards Earth for decades now and constantly missing your rendezvous.

Edison Trent said:

It seems plausable that the object isn't from the universe but from our galaxy, in which our solar system resides, about med way along one of the spiral arms.

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Sidenote: our galaxy is a part of the universe. What you were saying would be analogous to "The object isn't from the United States, but from Kansas".

AirPo said:

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This fun picture is an artist's impression (just like every image you see of exoplanets, and neutron stars, etc.).

I was curious though about whether we had much resolution, and we don't -- the actual images from the largest telescopes are fuzzy.

So the fun picture isn't like the actual thing, of course. (Good to remember the same about exoplanets speculated at times to be "Earth like", that are actually unlikely to be so.)

Halbhh said:

Here we go -- the giant dog bone, lol --

Rosetta (spacecraft) - Wikipedia

File:Comet 67P on 19 September 2014 NavCam mosaic.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

What's the method to show this image? I tried using the Image button and copying the address into the box, but it just gives an X on screen.

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Wow! that is an amazing photo. Things in space tend naturally to form into spheres so anything that is not a sphere is unusual, as you pointed out. I suspect whatever event gave the object it's elongated shape is also responsible for sending it into interstellar space. It is probably a fragment of a planet attacked by a Death Star long long ago and far far away.

Willis Gravning said:

Wow! that is an amazing photo. Things in space tend naturally to form into spheres so anything that is not a sphere is unusual, as you pointed out. I suspect whatever event gave the object it's elongated shape is also responsible for sending it into interstellar space. It is probably a fragment of a planet attacked by a Death Star long long ago and far far away.

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They only form into spheres if they have enough gravity.

Freodin said:

Sidenote: our galaxy is a part of the universe. What you were saying would be analogous to "The object isn't from the United States, but from Kansas".

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Correct the Galaxy is part of the universe, though people can't see the whole universe in the night sky, any object passing by would be more than likely in our own Galaxy. the universe is extremely vast there is about nine shining objects in our night sky that isn't part of our own Galaxy, and those are mostly other Galaxies or huge Suns that are somewhat close to our own Galaxy.

Strathos said:

They only form into spheres if they have enough gravity.

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Well, that or some sort of electromagnetic charge or surface tension, like you see with liquids in zero-G. But in terms of rocky things, yep. I think the current estimate is that at about 6 x10^20 kg rocky objects will basically go spherical by their own gravity.

majj27 said:

Well, that or some sort of electromagnetic charge or surface tension, like you see with liquids in zero-G. But in terms of rocky things, yep. I think the current estimate is that at about 6 x10^20 kg rocky objects will basically go spherical by their own gravity.

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If I’m not mistaken, rocks are formed by gravitational pressure so it is probable that this object was once part of a larger body that was almost certainly spherical.