Event

During the past two years, two objects -- 1I 2017 'Oumuamua and C/2019 Borisov -- have been observed to pass through the Solar System after arriving from interstellar space. 'Oumuamua presented a series of mysteries, including a bizarre light curve, a lack of detectable emanation, and an anomalous acceleration. Borisov, by contrast, has behaved like an entirely ordinary comet, albeit one that was formed in an alien planetary system. In this talk, I will place both objects in their galactic context, discussing current hypotheses for solving the puzzles posed by 'Oumaumau, and discussing Borisov's implications for delineating the planet formation process. I will also discuss prospects for the detection and in-situ exploration of future-arriving visitors from interstellar space.