Interstellar Hyperbolic Trajectory
A strongly hyperbolic trajectory — eccentricity well above 1 with a large excess velocity relative to the Sun — that cannot be produced by planetary perturbations. This is the signature of an interstellar object: a body that entered the Solar System already unbound, from another star system, and will leave on the same path. 1I/ʻOumuamua, 2I/Borisov, and 3I/ATLAS all follow such trajectories.
Definition
Eccentricity well above 1 with excess velocity — an unbound, interstellar trajectory.
Objects on this trajectory
- 1I/ʻOumuamuaConfirmed interstellarHyperbolic (e ≈ 1.20) — unbound
- 2I/BorisovConfirmed interstellarHyperbolic (e ≈ 3.36) — unbound
- 3I/ATLASConfirmed interstellarHyperbolic (e ≈ 6.1) — the most strongly hyperbolic yet found
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- NASA JPLJet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics
Orbital data, ephemerides, and small-body parameters for planets, asteroids, and comets.
- NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.
- NASA ADSNASA Astrophysics Data System
Bibliographic index of peer-reviewed astronomy and astrophysics literature.