Meteorite that hit Earth in 2014 was from another solar system: Here’s everything we know about the alien object

A meteor that hit Earth in January 2014 has now been confirmed by the US Space Command (USSC) as the first interstellar object that came from another solar system.Last week, the USSC shared a memo on Twitter confirming the work of Harvard astronomers Amir Siraj and Abraham Loeb that a space rock from another star system did strike Earth in 2014. As per the memo, the velocity and trajectory of the meteor suggested that it had come from a different solar system. The meteor, measuring 1.5 feet across, “was indeed an interstellar object”.Let’s find out more about the interstellar visitor to earth:Known as CNEOS 2014-01-08, the meteor crash-landed along the northeast coast of Papua New Guinea on 8 January, 2014.It remained just another entry in NASA's Center for Near Earth Object Studies database, until Harvard researcher Amir Siraj went looking for info on 'Oumuamua, the first known interstellar object in our solar system that was found in 2017.While investigating 'Oumuamua, Siraj along with Loeb, professor of science at Harvard University, stumbled upon this meteor in the database.The duo identified the object as an interstellar meteor in a coauthored study in 2019.What is the reasoning behind identifying it as interstellar?According to CNN, it was the meteor’s high velocity that caught Siraj’s eye.The researchers found that the meteor was moving at a speed of about 45 kilometers per second relative to Earth, however, that was not how fast it was actually going.To define its trajectory and orbit, its heliocentric speed was measured relative to the sun. It’s calculated based on the angle at which a meteor hits the Earth.However, the planet moves in one direction around the sun, so the meteor could have hit Earth head-on, meaning opposite the direction the planet is moving, or from behind, in the same direction the Earth is moving.Since the meteor hit the Earth from behind, Siraj's calculations put the meteor’s speed at about 60 kilometers per second relative to the sun.Based on this speed, Siraj mapped its trajectory and found it was in an unbound orbit. Other meteors and planets, which are part of the solar system, travel in a closed orbit around the sun.This meteor’s trajectory suggested it does not orbit the sun, and came from outside the solar system.Why haven’t we heard about this discovery before?Since NASA doesn’t divulge information on how accurate the readings are, Siraj and Loeb were unable to publish their findings in a journal.As per CNN, Siraj had forgotten about the research when they received the official confirmation from John Shaw, deputy commander of the US Space Command, that the “velocity estimate reported to NASA is sufficiently accurate to indicate an interstellar trajectory”.With the approval, Siraj and Loeb will resubmit their findings for publication in a science journal.With inputs from agenciesRead all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.