Interstellar Comet Oumuamua is Smaller than Previously Thought, Has Highly Reflective Surface

Sci-News.com ^ | Nov 16, 2018 | News Staff / Source

[ETL]

‘Oumuamua was first detected by the University of Hawaii’s Pan-STARRS 1 telescope on Haleakala, Hawaii, in October 2017 while the telescope was surveying for near-Earth asteroids.

Subsequent detailed observations conducted by multiple ground-based telescopes and the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope detected the sunlight reflected off ‘Oumuamua’s surface.

Large variations in the object’s brightness suggested that ‘Oumuamua is highly elongated and probably less than 2,600 feet (800 m) in its longest dimension.

But NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope tracks asteroids and comets using the infrared energy, or heat, that they radiate, which can provide more specific information about an object’s size than optical observations of reflected sunlight alone would.

The fact that ‘Oumuamua was too faint for Spitzer to detect sets a limit on the object’s total surface area.

However, since the non-detection can’t be used to infer shape, the size limits are presented as what ‘Oumuamua’s diameter would be if it was spherical.

Using three separate models that make slightly different assumptions about the object’s composition, Spitzer’s non-detection limited ‘Oumuamua’s spherical diameter to 1,440 feet (440 m), 460 feet (140 m) or perhaps as little as 320 feet (100 m).

The wide range of results stems from the assumptions about ‘Oumuamua’s composition, which influences how visible (or faint) it would appear to Spitzer were it a particular size.

[ETL]

An artist’s impression of 'Oumuamua'

[ETL]

I increasingly am suspecting that this object is a piece of interstellar waste material, perhaps from a race of alien giants, destined to eventually get flushed down a black hole/space toilet.

[z3n]

[Army Air Corps]

It is made of unsold Collector’s Mint Commemorative Plates.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

aka “Yourmama”

[ETL]

I'm wondering if this mysterious object, "Oumuamua", was named after Obama. It does remind me of him.

An artist’s impression of 'Oumuamua'

[4yearlurker]

“No big deal!”

[Army Air Corps]

I also suspect that this is where all of those unsold K-Tel albums went.

[farming pharmer]

I'm wondering if this mysterious object, "Oumuamua", was named after Obama. It does remind me of him.

An astronomical piece of shit.

[RightGeek]

Lol, my first thought too

[V_TWIN]

LOL!!

[fishtank]

[fieldmarshaldj]

*flying space turd ping*

[Red Badger]

Cigar shaped? Oblong? Highly reflective? I've seen this movie...................

[TheDon]

How are they kidding? We all know what it is....

[mistfree]

“Oumuamua may be up to 10 times more reflective (has a higher albedo) than the comets that reside in our Solar System”

With looks like that it better have a higher albedo or it will never get laid

[TheDon]

Who...

[Red Badger]

We go to thrift shops on the weekends, Goodwills, Salvation Army and local churches.

There are many, many of those ‘collector plates’ there................

[Ezekiel]

However, since the non-detection can’t be used to infer shape...

It's one of the mysteries of life - you just have to take it on faith.

That *is* the message from beyond. Simple meaning, innit? No wonder it sailed right by..

It's like Mechizedek. Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life...

Or like the manna, "What is it?"

Secrets of the universe, living parables. Never enough popcorn.

[red-dawg]

It's the Doomsday Machine.