Lesson plan

Interstellar object

, the first confirmed interstellar object passing through the Solar System, in 2017 An interstellar object is an astronomical object in interstellar space, not gravitationally bound to a star. The term is used for objects including some asteroids, some comets, and rogue planets, but not stars or stellar remnants. The interstellar objects were likely once bound to a host star and have become unbound since. Different processes can cause planets and smaller objects (planetesimals) to become unbound from their host star. This term is also applied to an object that is on an interstellar trajectory but is temporarily passing close to a star, such as some asteroids and comets (that is, exoasteroids and exocomets ). In this case the object may be called an interstellar interloper. Objects observed within the solar system are identified as interstellar interlopers due to possessing significant hyperbolic excess velocity, indicating they did not originate in the solar system. The first interstellar objects discovered were rogue planets, ejected from their original stellar system (e.g., OTS 44 or Cha 110913−773444), though they are difficult to distinguish from sub-brown dwarfs, planet-mass objects that formed in interstellar space as stars do.…

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Article summary

, the first confirmed interstellar object passing through the Solar System, in 2017 An interstellar object is an astronomical object in interstellar space, not gravitationally bound to a star. The term is used for objects including some asteroids, some comets, and rogue planets, but not stars or stellar remnants. The interstellar objects were likely once bound to a host star and have become unbound since. Different processes can cause planets and smaller objects (planetesimals) to become unbound from their host star. This term is also applied to an object that is on an interstellar trajectory but is temporarily passing close to a star, such as some asteroids and comets (that is, exoasteroids and exocomets ). In this case the object may be called an interstellar interloper. Objects observed within the solar system are identified as interstellar interlopers due to possessing significant hyperbolic excess velocity, indicating they did not originate in the solar system. The first interstellar objects discovered were rogue planets, ejected from their original stellar system (e.g., OTS 44 or Cha 110913−773444), though they are difficult to distinguish from sub-brown dwarfs, planet-mass objects that formed in interstellar space as stars do.…

Key claims

  1. publication date: 2018 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
  2. publication date: 2014 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. The record states that the publication date is "2018". What evidence would count against this claim?
  3. The record states that the publication date is "2014". What evidence would count against this claim?
  4. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  5. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

  1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1376698939

Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.