Gresham College Lectures

'Oumuamua: Our first interstellar visitor - Chris Lintott

Feb 5, 2024

'Oumuamua: Our first interstellar visitor - Chris Lintott. Chris Lintott, Astrophysicist and presenter, discusses the unusual properties of 'Oumuamua, our first interstellar visitor, and how it is teaching us lessons about solar system formation. The lecture also explores the prospects of finding more unusual objects in the Solar System and the threat of asteroids to Earth.

58:47

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Episode guests

Chris Lintott

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Quick takeaways

'Oumuamua provides valuable insights into the formation of planets in our solar system.

Interstellar objects like 'Oumuamua and Borisov suggest the existence of billions of similar objects in the galaxy.

Discovering more interstellar objects can offer valuable information about the conditions for planet formation in the galaxy.

Deep dives

Science happens in unexpected ways

Scientific discoveries can occur through chaotic and unexpected means.

Introduction

4min

Asteroid analysis and planetary defense

5min

The Significance of Asteroids and the Great Orion Nebula

2min

The Process of Planet Formation

10min

The Discovery and Origin of 'Oumuamua

27min

Interstellar Objects: Messengers of the Galaxy

11min

In 2017, the Solar System was visited by an object named 'Oumuamua, which came from another star. The unusual properties of this first interstellar visitor led some to suggest it may be an alien spacecraft - but the truth is that its oddness is already teaching us lessons about how solar systems form.

This lecture also considers the prospects of discovering more unusual objects in the Solar System, and what we might do about asteroids that threaten the Earth.

This lecture was recorded by Chris Lintott on 24th January 2024 at Barnard's Inn Hall, London

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/oumuamua

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