Astronomers have made a groundbreaking discovery, suggesting that interstellar asteroids visiting our solar system originate from the Alpha Centauri triple star system. According to simulations, there could be up to one million 100-meter or larger objects from this system within our solar system, with material ejected at relatively low speeds of less than 2 km per second.
The Alpha Centauri system is currently moving almost directly at the Sun and has no confirmed planets around Proxima Centauri. However, gravitational interactions between the star and other celestial bodies can cause instability in orbits, allowing objects to escape the star’s gravitational pull. Simulations consider the position of the sun within the Milky Way Galaxy, as well as the motion of our solar system and stars.
The authors’ simulations indicate that material from Alpha Centauri reaches the Solar System over a 10-million-year period, coinciding with the densest region of particles in the system. Even tiny particles smaller than a few microns can survive the journey. Dust detectors on spacecraft have already detected small interstellar particles, and it’s estimated that there could be up to ten Alpha Centauri meteors detectable in Earth’s atmosphere per year.
The discovery implies that the galaxy functions as an interconnected network where stars exchange material, elements, and potentially even the ingredients for life. This redefines our understanding of the Milky Way as a dynamic, evolving ecosystem rather than separate stars.
Future research will focus on nearby stars like Beta Pictoris with known debris disks and potentially harbor planets, increasing the possibility of additional material being transferred to our solar system.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucedorminey/2025/02/16/interstellar-asteroids-could-originate-from-alpha-centauri-says-paper