Artist’s impression of ‘Oumuamua a nitrogen ice fragment from a distant exoplanet drifting through space (Photo: NASA)
In 2017 the observations about a visitor to our solar system 1I/ ‘Oumuamua have been of great interest to astronomers. Most of the asteroids or comets have looked like it might come from outside our solar system making it the first such interstellar traveller to be confirmed.
Recent studies also suggest that 'Oumuamua may be a piece of an icy exoplanet like Pluto which composed mostly of nitrogen ice a finding that expands the horizons of our understanding of planetary formation.
The shape and composition of ‘Oumuamua raised eyebrows among scientists almost immediately. It was like any object they had even seen within our solar system which were presumed to be mixed water ice, rocks and carbon compounds.
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This cigarlike shape was set apart amongst other overgrown balls discovered by the Pan Starrs telescope in Hawaii. So, the contours of our mineral neighborhood scientists put that one down as a wanderer from yet another star system and declared it an interstellar object.
Pluto according to NASA's New Horizons mission has nitrogen ice covering its surface. Investigations into the properties of 'Oumuamua determined that it has a strong compositional to that of Pluto.
An exoplanet scientist Steve Desch proposed that the object may have originated from an exo-Pluto in his term for an icy world outside our solar system with a formation of history to the one for Pluto's frozen exterior. This discovery deepens the connection between 'Oumuamua and distant planetary bodies.
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The interstellar objects 2I/Borisov and 3I/ATLAS were supposed to have looked like comets which complete with a tail and a sandstorm. The elongation and near pure nitrogen composition of 'Oumuamua set it well apart from these visitors.
It is improbable that such an object could have formed from the regular debris floating about in the solar system which in itself places it in a separate category of celestial bodies altogether.
In the early days of our solar system interactions amongst the giant planets likely expelled massive amounts of icy material into space. According to simulations by Desch and colleague Alan Jackson the collision stripped nitrogen from proto-Pluto's, flinging fragments like 'Oumuamua into deep space.
Some remnants were eventually captured by the Oort Cloud but most escaped and well to the reach of our solar system. They argue that 'Oumuamua's journey is testament to these early cosmic upheavals.
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