According to one source, the probability that panspermia, the theory that life was introduced to Earth by objects from the interstellar medium, sparked life on Earth is unlikely. However, other sources say that interstellar objects (ISOs) could potentially seed hundreds of thousands or billions of Earth-like planets throughout the Milky Way. 

According to Astronomy Magazine, even if an asteroid flyby did pick up a few microbes from Earth, it’s highly unlikely that they would survive the journey. 

Some meteorites have been found to show signs of aqueous alteration, which may indicate that this process has taken place. Given that there are such large numbers of these bodies found within the Solar System, an argument can be made that they each provide a potential site for life to develop

To briefly summarize, panspermia is the theory that life was introduced to Earth by objects from the interstellar medium (ISM). According to this theory, this life took the form of extremophile bacteria capable of surviving the harsh conditions of space.

In 2022, the U.S. Space Command confirmed that a 2014 meteor was the first known interstellar object to hit Earth. The meteor, also known as the Manus Island fireball, was a small meteorite that crashed into the atmosphere on January 8, 2014. The meteor was traveling at 130,000 miles per hour and was about 1.5 feet across

The meteor was discovered in 2019 by researchers searching through NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS) catalog. The meteor’s velocity relative to the Sun confirmed its interstellar origin. 

The first interstellar object to be detected passing through the Solar System was 1I/2017 U1 ‘Oumuamua. It was discovered on October 19, 2017 by Robert Weryk using the Pan-STARRS telescope at Haleakalā Observatory, Hawaii. The name ‘Oumuamua is Hawaiian for “a messenger from afar arriving first

As of July 15, 2023, astronomers have only confirmed two interstellar objects (ISOs) in our solar system: ‘Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov

Oumuamua was discovered in 2017 and 2I/Borisov was discovered in 2019. Both objects have significant hyperbolic excess velocity, which indicates they did not originate in the Solar System. 

‘Oumuamua is unusual because it lacks a coma or a tail.  It was not considered a comet because no dust was observed being released. The object was given the name ‘Oumuamua, Hawaiian for “reach out for first,” and given the designation 1I/2017 U1. The “1I” denotes it was the first known interstellar object. 

2I/Borisov looks like a normal comet, with a coma (the gaseous “head’ around a comet’s icy nucleus) and a tail. It has an orbit even more extreme than that of ‘Oumuamua

In May 2023, astronomers reported that other interstellar objects may have been captured in Near Earth Orbit (NEO) over the years. In July 2023, Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb reported the possibility of finding interstellar material

As of 2023, two such objects have been observed: ‘Oumuamua, which was discovered in 2017, and Comet Borisov, which was discovered in 2019

Oumuamua is the largest interstellar object known to have entered our solar system. It’s estimated to be 377 by 364 by 62 feet (115 by 111 by 19 meters) in size, and is shaped like a cigar or pancake. It’s also highly elongated, with an aspect ratio greater than any other asteroid or comet observed in our solar system

Oumuamua is moving so fast that it can’t be bound to the Sun. It’s currently passing through the Kuiper Belt, a ring of icy bodies near the edge of the solar system, and is now beyond the reach of our telescopes. It will never come back toward Earth

Oumuamua is the closest interstellar object to Earth, passing within 0.16 AU (about 15 million miles) of our planet on October 14, 2017. This is about 60 times the distance between the Earth and the Moon. 

However, it’s possible that there are many interstellar objects that we haven’t detected yet

Here are some other interstellar objects: 

• Comets Made of ice, dust, and rocky particles, comets are smaller objects that have a tail made of evaporating gases. Halley’s comet is an example of a comet that passes Earth every 76 years. 
• Asteroids These small, rocky objects orbit the sun, usually between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. 
• Nebulae These clouds of dust, molecules, and gases are where new stars are born. 
• Pulsars These stars are made of neutron matter and emit strong radio waves at regular intervals. 
• Galaxies These are collections of billions of stars and interstellar matter that exist independently in space. 
• Meteoroids These interstellar rocks travel through space and usually break up when they hit Earth’s atmosphere. Sometimes fragments survive and land on Earth, where they can remain undiscovered for millions of years.

Here are some possible origins for interstellar objects: 

• Ejected from their host stars Estimates assume that interstellar objects are initially ejected from their host stars in random directions. 
• Scattered material from giant planets Early in their history, planetary systems have a phase where giant planets migrate inward. As they travel, they scatter material, some of which can escape the planetary system and become interstellar objects. 
• Comets ejected into interstellar space Most interstellar objects likely began as comets around other stars. An encounter with a Jupiter-sized planet or a fly-by star could have ejected them into interstellar space. 
• Oort cloud The slowest moving interstellar objects may have originated from the Oort cloud. These objects are nudged into the inner solar system through gravitational interactions. 
• Rogue planets The first interstellar objects discovered were rogue planets, which are planets ejected from their original stellar system.

An interstellar object is an astronomical object (such as an asteroid, a comet, or a rogue planet, but not a star) in interstellar space that is not gravitationally bound to a star

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