ALBAWABA - Astronomers have spotted a mysterious object from outside our solar system heading toward Earth at high speed. It is expected to pass close to us on December 17.
The object, named A11pl3Z, is currently moving at more than 66 kilometers per second (around 241,000 km/h), making it almost unaffected by the gravity of the sun or other planets in our solar system, according to Harvard University physicist Avi Loeb.
This object was first spotted in late June by astronomer Sam Dean, and the International Astronomical Union recently confirmed its interstellar origin.
Loeb believes A11pl3Z may be a large space rock or a comet, but the nature of this object is still under investigation.
Scientists expect A11pl3Z to approach Mars next October, at a distance of 55 million km, before passing close to Earth in December at a safe distance of about 360 million km.
