Astronomy Picture of the Day

                         Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! [1] Each day a different image or photograph of our
 fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a
                           professional astronomer.

                               2018 November 20
        The Unexpected Trajectory of Interstellar Asteroid 'Oumuamua
                Image Credit: NASA [2] , JPL [3] , Caltech [4]

Explanation: Why is 'Oumuamua differing from its expected trajectory? Last
year, 1I/2017 U1 'Oumuamua [5] became the first known asteroid from
interstellar space to pass through our Solar System [6] . Just over a year
ago, this tumbling interstellar rock even passed rather close to the Earth [7]
. The asteroid's future path should have been easy to predict given standard
gravity -- but 'Oumuamua's [8] path has proven to be slightly different. In
the featured animation [9] , 'Oumuamua is shown approaching and exiting the
vicinity of our Sun [10] , with the expected gravitational and observed
trajectories labelled. The leading natural hypothesis [11]  for this
unexpected deviation is internal gas jets becoming active on the Sun-warmed
asteroid [12]  -- but speculation [13] and further computer simulations [14]
are ongoing. 'Oumuamua [15]  will never return, but modern sky monitors [16]
are expected to find and track similar interstellar asteroids [17]  within the
next few years.

                  Tomorrow's picture: high swirls on jupiter

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    Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff [29] (MTU [30] ) & Jerry Bonnell [31]
                                  (UMCP [32] )
          NASA Official:  Phillip Newman Specific rights apply [33] .
              NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices [34]
              A service of: ASD [35]  at NASA [36]  / GSFC [37]
                           & Michigan Tech. U. [38]
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Site notes:
  [1] archivepix.html
  [2] https://www.nasa.gov/
  [3] https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/
  [4] http://www.caltech.edu/
  [5] ap171122.html
  [6] https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/our-solar-system/overview/
  [7] ap070325.html
  [8] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CA%BBOumuamua
  [9] https://youtu.be/fdfD-Bj2RBE
  [10] https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/sun/overview/
  [11] https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7280
  [12] http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2018AJ....156..261T
  [13] http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2018nova.pres.4232K
  [14]
http://www.tnmoc.org/sites/default/files/styles/lightbox/public/
WITCHpeople_0.jpg?itok=j0rfGux7
  [15] https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22357
  [16] https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/about/search_program.html
  [17] https://www.nasa.gov/planetarydefense/faq/interstellar
  [18] ap181119.html
  [19] archivepix.html
  [20] lib/apsubmit2015.html
  [21] lib/aptree.html
  [22] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  [23] calendar/allyears.html
  [24] /apod.rss
  [25] lib/edlinks.html
  [26] lib/about_apod.html
  [27] http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=181120
  [28] ap181121.html
  [29] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  [30] http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  [31] https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  [32] http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  [33] lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  [34] https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  [35] https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  [36] https://www.nasa.gov/
  [37] https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  [38] http://www.mtu.edu/

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