What characteristic of the velocity distribution could lead to this conclusion?
2006-12-09 12:45:33 · 5 answers · asked by wafflehouse 4 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
The dust cloud from which our solar system formed had characteristic ratios of isotope abundance for many elements. For some time now, scientists have been finding dust grains in meteorites which do not match this signature, and which are therefore identified as originating from outside the solar system. Some astronomers are trying to locate streams of extrasolar dust and trace them back to their parent stars.
2006-12-09 13:02:14 · answer #1 · answered by injanier 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
We don't.
However, this gets into a bit of semantics here. Once an object is within the Oort cloud (the outer belt of comets far beyond Pluto, but still within the primary gravitational influence of the Sun), that object technically becomes part of the Solar System. Thus, by the time an object encounters Earth's atmosphere or crashes to the ground, it is already a part of the Solar System by definition, albeit a captured part.
That does not preclude an object originating somewhere else in space that, by virtue of trajectory ultimately comes into the gravitational influence of our Sun, and gets directed towards the earth.
These "extrasolar meteors" are of considerable scientific interest, because they may contain information about the formations of other solar systems.
See:
http://www.newsandevents.utoronto.ca/bin4/030106a.asp
2006-12-09 13:06:41 · answer #2 · answered by Jerry P 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Meteors would have to arrive at speeds higher than escape velocity from the Sun to have come from interstellar space. As far as I know, that never happens.
2006-12-09 13:47:35 · answer #3 · answered by campbelp2002 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, we dont know this of course. Our technological gadgetry of space is not so advanced. Also, probably we could know by calculating its speed and mass and heat or cool.
2006-12-09 13:23:34 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Who ever said none of them do?
2006-12-09 12:49:06 · answer #5 · answered by socialdeevolution 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋