出典:Wikipedia
出典:『Wikipedia』 (2011/06/10 06:34 UTC 版)
An interstellar comet is a comet that hypothetically exists in the interstellar medium, that is, it is not gravitationally bound to a star. Although none has yet been conclusively identified, it is suspected that there must be a large population of these bodies. An interstellar comet can only be detected if it passes through our solar system, and could be distinguished from an Oort cloud comet by its strongly hyperbolic trajectory (indicating that it is not gravitationally bound to the Sun). Comets with weakly hyperbolic trajectories have been observed, but the trajectories of these comets are consistent with having been knocked loose from the Oort cloud and do not indicate an origin in interstellar space.