Candidates for interstellar ‘Oumuamua’s home

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Gaia finds candidates for interstellar ‘Oumuamua’s home

Quote

Using data from ESA’s Gaia stellar surveyor, astronomers have identified four stars that are possible places of origin of ‘Oumuamua, an interstellar object spotted during a brief visit to our Solar System in 2017.

The discovery last year sparked a large observational campaign: originally identified as the first known interstellar asteroid, the small body was later revealed to be a comet, as further observations showed it was not slowing down as fast as it should have under gravity alone. The most likely explanation of the tiny variations recorded in its trajectory was that they are caused by gasses emanating from its surface, making it more akin to a comet.

But where in the Milky Way did this cosmic traveller come from? 

  Read More: ESA

 

[L.A.T.1961]

 

"All four candidates are dwarf stars – with masses similar to or smaller than our Sun’s – and had their ‘close’ encounter with the interstellar comet between one and seven million years ago. However, none of them is known to either harbour planets or to be part of a binary stellar system; a giant planet or companion star would be the preferred mechanism to have ejected the small body".

If Oumuamua only passed through one of those four systems, like it did ours, then no ejection mechanism is needed. Nice as it would be to find it's home I think they might be on a wild goose chase.   

[stevewinn]