'Oumuamua Binary System Origins Teased In Latest Interstellar Object Study

The mysterious interstellar object named 'Oumuamua likely originated from a binary system, according to the latest update. Last month, researchers explained that the object, which is long and thin with a "cigar" shape, is tumbling through space after being launched due to a "violent past." Scientists have continued to study the object, shedding light on the world from which it originates.READ: Oumuamua spent billions of years in chaos over violent past

Researchers have been working to identify where 'Oumuamua came from; it is the first known object from outside of our solar system to make an appearance, and it remains shrouded in mystery. One question previously posed was whether the object came from a single star system or a two-star system, which is known as a binary system.

The latter is most likely the answer, according to a study recently published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Study author Dr. Alan Jackson of the University of Toronto Scarborough and co-authors determined that objects like 'Oumuamua are less likely to come from a single star system than a binary system. This determination was made by looking at how efficiently a two-star system could eject an object like 'Oumuamua, as well as how common such systems are.

Talking about 'Oumuamua, Jackson said: "It's really odd that the first object we would see from outside our system would be an asteroid, because a comet would be a lot easier to spot and the Solar System ejects many more comets than asteroids." 'Oumuamua may have been ejected into space during planets' formation; the system was likely home to a high mass and hot star.

The interstellar object was first spotted in October 2017. Since then, researchers have determined that it is blasting through space at 30km/s. According to past research, 'Oumuamua has been soaring through space for billions of years, having been set on its chaotic path possibly due to a collision with another asteroid from its own system.

SOURCE: EurekAlert