No, not that type of Comet!
“Turning the Oort cloud theory on its head, a team of astronomers says not all comets originated from within our solar system. If true, more clues could be gleaned about distant stars,” reports Amina Khan for the Los Angeles Times.
“Some of the most famous comets — like Halley and Hale-Bopp — may have originated in other solar systems, an international team of astronomers says — much farther away than they previously imagined,” reports Khan.
“Many comets originate in what is known as the Oort cloud, a vast rough sphere of comets that encompasses our solar system and extends nearly halfway to the next nearest star, Proxima Centauri,” reports Khan. “Scientists have thought that this cloud was formed during the birth of the solar system, about 4 billion years ago – As the planets formed, icy, rocky material was thrust farther and farther outward in space, eventually creating the Oort cloud.”
“If the theory turns out to be true, the information that could be gleaned from these “alien” comets could tell researchers plenty about the early protoplanetary disc that evolved into our solar system — as well as what other solar systems looked like in their early formation.”
Read the full article by Amina Khan here.
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