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20 November 2019

How two intruders from interstellar space are upending astronomy

Researchers grapple with the meaning of the first objects entering our Solar System from distant regions.

Alexandra Witze

Alexandra Witze

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From the tallest peak in Hawaii to a high plateau in the Andes, some of the biggest telescopes on Earth will point towards a faint smudge of light over the next few weeks. The same patch of sky will draw the attention of Gennady Borisov, an amateur astronomer in Crimea, and many other hobbyists who will sacrifice proper sleep and doze through their day jobs rather than miss this golden opportunity.

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Nature 575, 434-435 (2019)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-03530-3

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