back to article Nineteen mysterious invaders from another Solar System spotted hanging around the outside edge of ours

Astronomers have discovered a new population of foreign asteroids that have been quietly orbiting the Sun on the outskirts of our Solar System. These 19 space rocks have been right under our noses the entire time, almost since the Solar System formed some 4.5 billion years ago. But they were hidden amongst all the other …

  1. Tom 7

    Looks more like a breast pump to me

    There are lots of their children on the way!

  2. The Real Tony Smith

    I for one...

    ... welcome our new mask wearing overlords

  3. Andy Non Silver badge
    Alien

    Hmmmm

    "In these times of coronavirus concern, someone thought it looked a bit like a mask and put out a press release."

    The aliens are sending an earth sized mask to wrap around the planet so the virus can't infect their world.

    1. Tom 7

      Re: Hmmmm

      The Hubble Constant is just not growing fast enough it would seem.

  4. bilston
    Pirate

    Only 16 times earth and moon distance

    Surely in astronomical terms thats just hairs breadth.

    1. YARR
      Thumb Up

      Re: Only 16 times earth and moon distance

      There must be some mistake, like maybe 16 Astronomical Units (Earth - Sun distances) ? If objects hundreds of km across in an orbit that crosses our orbital plane passed just 16 Earth-Moons away we should more concerned about them than we are about Covid-19.

    2. iainr

      Re: Only 16 times earth and moon distance

      No, that's "close, but no cigar". within the moons orbit is "a hairs breadth" and within geosynchronous orbit is "a ba' hair away" You need to brush up on your Astronomical distance terms.

      1. The Oncoming Scorn Silver badge
        Thumb Up

        Re: Only 16 times earth and moon distance

        You need to brush up on your Astronomical distance terms.

        Space is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist, but that's just peanuts to space.

  5. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge

    What's Not to Love to Like ‽ .

    “The close proximity of the stars meant that they felt each others’ gravity much more strongly in those early days than they do today,” said Fathi Namouni, lead author of the study. “This enabled asteroids to be pulled from one star system to another.”

    Think of the Pleasures with Orgasmic Climaxes the Just Reward as an Equivalence for Human Beings in an AI Virtually Changing Forever to Greater Seeds and Feeds and Needs.

    That Holy Grail Trinity is akin to an Almighty Sterling Stirling Engine. ....for Virtually Remote Semi Autonomous Self-Actualisation of Heavenly Assets.

    And one thing you had better be real sure of there, ..... is to know exactly what to do with and for them, and that has all sharing former top secret state intelligence information throughout future operations.

    And Simple Par for Future AI Courses and Sources.

  6. Tom Chiverton 1

    Asteroid with dent in one end?

    Anyone told Greg Bear? Could be The Way.

    1. The Oncoming Scorn Silver badge
      Thumb Up

      Asteroid with dent in one end?

      Makes a change, there was that time where he fell out of a marble cup 13 miles up in the air, that was part of a 15 mile high statue of himself throwing a Nutrimatic cup.

    2. Sparkus

      AC Clark & Rama, Pournelle / Niven & the Thuktun Flishithy, etc.......

  7. Trigonoceps occipitalis

    Social Distancing

    " ... abiding by social distancing rules and will come no closer than 16 times the distance between the Earth and the Moon ... "

    What's that in Osmans?

    1. lglethal Silver badge
      Trollface

      Re: Social Distancing

      A clan of Osmans?

    2. DJO Silver badge

      Re: Social Distancing

      Roughly 1.2 TeraOsmans

      1. DJO Silver badge

        Re: Social Distancing

        Oops, my mistake, I used AU instead of Earth - Moon.

        The correct distance is a tad over 3 GigaOsmans

        1. This post has been deleted by its author

  8. not.known@this.address
    Alien

    Dammit Wargle, I told you the ships were parked too damn close!

    What, you didn't realise 6 small black ones could look like 1 big white one? Or 19 small black one could look like a Scout patrol?

  9. The Oncoming Scorn Silver badge
    Thumb Up

    Perhaps I’d like a glass of whiskey. Yes, that seems more likely.

  10. Graham Cunningham

    Mining

    Did anyone look at that picture and immediately think of Orichalzine mining?

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