Alien Particles from the α Centauri Star Systempotentially present within our own Solar System?

In a groundbreaking study, researchers Cole R. Gregg and Paul A. Wiegert from The University of Western Ontario have delved into the intriguing question of whether our Solar System has already been graced by interstellar material from the closest star system to the Sun, Alpha Centauri. The study, titled "A Case Study of Interstellar Material Delivery: Alpha Centauri," sheds light on this fascinating topic.

The study reveals that gravitational interactions between the stars and planets in Alpha Centauri can scatter asteroids, comets, and dust into interstellar space. Over the last 100 million years, these particles have embarked on a journey towards our Solar System, with some of them expected to arrive in the coming years.

Using numerical simulations, the researchers have tracked the journey of over one million particles ejected from Alpha Centauri. Their findings suggest that although only a small fraction of these particles come near the Solar System, the arrival rate will peak as Alpha Centauri approaches its closest point to the Sun in 28,000 years.

The study identifies two clusters of meteor radiants associated with Alpha Centauri material. These findings could potentially pave the way for the detection of cosmic visitors from Alpha Centauri. In fact, detecting even one Alpha Centauri meteor could confirm the presence of material from our closest stellar neighbour.

The likelihood of detecting a large Alpha Centauri object within 10 astronomical units of the Sun is about one in a million. However, during Alpha Centauri's closest approach, the number of meteors entering our Solar System could increase to around 100 per year.

Current radar systems, like the Canadian Meteor Orbit Radar (CMOR), may not be capable of detecting most Alpha Centauri particles due to their small size. Future advances in observational technology may help us identify these elusive cosmic visitors from Alpha Centauri.

Low-velocity ejections, particularly those under 2 km/s, are the most likely to reach the Solar System. If Alpha Centauri ejects material at a rate similar to the Solar System, there could be around one million macroscopic particles from the system currently within the Solar System.

Alpha Centauri is a triple star system consisting of Alpha Centauri A, B, and Proxima Centauri, located 1.34 parsecs away from our Solar System. Particles arriving from Alpha Centauri travel at a median velocity of 32.5 km/s relative to the Sun and increase their speeds due to the Sun's gravitational pull.

The study opens new doors to understanding interstellar transport, the spread of life's building blocks, and the connections between star systems across the Milky Way. With further research and technological advancements, we may soon be able to witness firsthand the interstellar exchange between our Solar System and Alpha Centauri.