Mysterious 'Oumuamua space object may help explain how life arose on Earth -NBCNewsMACH
Previous research on comets and other small bodies within our own solar system suggests that 'Oumuamua-like objects provide good thermal insulation and radiation shielding, she added. That's good news for any microbes that may be hitching a ride.
Astronomers have not yet identified 'Oumuamua's natal star system, so we don't know long ago the object was ejected into the dark and frigid wastes. But it may have been traveling through interstellar space for 10 million years or more, Meech said. Previous work by Harvard University astronomer Avi Loeb and others, along with Sigurdsson's own calculations, suggests that about 100 'Oumuamua-like objects have slammed into Earth over our planet's nearly 4.6-billion-year history, Sigurdsson said. "Now, if any of them have biota in them? We don't know," he said."Maybe we should go catch one and drill into it."
The powerful Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, which is scheduled to start observing the heavens from Chile next year, will probably spot about one interstellar object per month when it's fully up and running, Loeb added.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Commercial Space Travel: How Leaving Earth Will Make You Appreciate It MoreMaybe it will take going to outer space for renewable energy naysayers to realise the devastating impact the human race has on planet Earth. But perhaps commercial space travel is what we need to push people to tackle climate change more seriously?
Read more »
Jaw from a mysterious human species shows early embrace of the high lifeThis discovery suggests human relatives called Denisovans lived in the highest altitudes 100,000 years or more before modern humans.
Read more »
In L.A.’s future, you may not need a car, insurance or a parking spaceColumnist LATstevelopez writes: In L.A.’s future, you may not need a car, insurance or a parking space.
Read more »
'He loved everybody, he would help anybody': Bullied gay teen takes his own life'He loved everybody, he would help anybody. He was an angel': Alabama community picks up pieces after bullied gay teen takes his own life.
Read more »