Observational Signatures Of Interstellar Objects And Their Implications For Astronomy

1I/‘Oumuamua (Meech et al. 2017) and 2I/Borisov (Guzik et al. 2020) are the first two confirmed interstellar objects detected in the solar system, and CNEOS 2014-01-08 is tentatively the first interstellar meteor discovered larger than dust (Siraj & Loeb 2019c)1. Here, I present novel observational methods for the discovery and characterization of interstellar objects, including reflected sunlight (Siraj & Loeb 2019i,b), streaks in the Earth’s atmosphere (Siraj & Loeb 2019g), optical flashes on the Moon (Siraj & Loeb 2019a), radio flares from neutron stars (Siraj & Loeb 2019h), stellar occultations (Siraj & Loeb 2020a), and unusual orbits of trapped objects (Siraj & Loeb 2019f). I then theorize two new populations of interstellar objects, those originating from halo stars and those originating from supernovae, exploring their unique detection signatures as well as their implications for understanding planet formation in the early Universe and supernova ejecta, respectively (Siraj & Loeb 2019e, 2020b). Finally, I evaluate the possibility that interstellar objects could have exported life from the Earth to other star systems (Siraj & Loeb 2019d, 2020c).Astro 9