'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
From the moment scientists named 'Oumuamua – which roughly translates to "scout" in Hawaiian – the first interstellar object to enter the solar system, Earth has buzzed with speculation about its nature and origin.
The cigar-shaped oddity from outer space was detected passing through the solar system 2017 and is, by now, on its way to the Pegasus constellation.
'Oumuamua moved in a comet-like way but lacked the tail of vapour that would normally be seen trailing a comet. It was also small compared to comets, which can be several kilometres wide.
Its elongated shape and other unusual characteristics led to theories it was everything from a "cosmic dust bunny," to an alien probe, to a chunk of a distant planet.
Scientists now say they know what it is, and the answer is less sensational than some previous theories have suggested.
According to a study published in the scientific journal Nature on Wednesday, 'Oumuamua is most likely an interstellar comet.
Until 'Oumuamua, scientists had only ever observed comets that originated within the solar system and had similar characteristics. NASA describes these comets as "frozen leftovers from the formation of the solar system composed of dust, rock, and ices."
As solar system comets orbit the sun, solar radiation causes them to heat up and spew jets of vapourized dust and gas that are visible from Earth: their signature tails.
The authors of this latest study, Jennifer Bergner and Darryl Seligman, have figured out that 'Oumuamua probably does have a cometary tail. It's just invisible. Because 'Oumuamua is so much smaller than the comets scientists typically observe, Bergner and Seligman wrote that it could have generated a hydrogen gas jet that was just too small and thin to be detectible to telescopes.
The way it moved through the solar system supports the idea, too.
According to NASA, cometary jets are powerful enough to give comets a speed boost at certain points in their orbit, independent of the sun's gravitational pull. 'Oumuamua accelerated as it passed through Earth's inner solar system in a manner similar to a comet, but the lack of a visible tail suggested it wasn't a comet, leaving scientists confused about the source of its acceleration.
If 'Oumuamua's tail was too small to be visible, but just strong enough to give it a boost, Bergner and Seligman said that would explain its comet-like, but confusing, characteristics.
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.
English, history, entertainment, math and geography: high school trivia teams could be quizzed on any of it when they compete at the Reach for the Top Nationals in Ottawa in June.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
A small Ajax dessert shop that recently received a glowing review from celebrity food critic Keith Lee is being forced to move after a zoning complaint was made following the social media influencer’s visit last month.
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is inviting visitors to explore their poop. A new exhibition opens at the Ottawa museum on Friday called, 'Oh Crap! Rethinking human waste.'
The Regina Police Service says it is the first in Saskatchewan and possibly Canada to implement new technology in its detention facility that will offer real-time monitoring of detainees’ vital health metrics.
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.