ELFT HÍRADÓ

[Kormányos Andor <andor.kormanyos AT ttk.elte.hu>]

ELTE TTK Fizikai Intézet / ELTE Institute of Physics

ORTVAY KOLLOKVIUM / ORTVAY COLLOQUIUM
(https://physics.elte.hu/ortvayseminar)

Thursday, 26th March  2026, 15:00h.
Pócza Jenő Lecture Hall, Physics Building 1.71
Pázmány Péter sétány 1/A, 1117 Budapest


László Kiss
HUn-REN Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences

Alien spacecraft or celestial bodies? – Interstellar visitors in the Solar 
System

In 2017, a strange celestial body passed through the Solar System. The 
strange shape, unusual trajectory, and interesting behavior of 1I/‘Oumuamua 
raised questions in many people's minds: was it of natural origin, or was it 
sent by an alien civilization? The debate strarted, although not necessarily 
on scientific basis - a renowned professor at Harvard University has been 
researching whether we may have encountered an artificial object. Later, more 
and more interstellar visitors have arrived: 2I/Borisov in 2019, 3I/ATLAS in 
2025. Are these "just" comets and asteroids, or do they hide something more?
The talk will cover: How a body in the Solar System can become an 
interstellar traveler? Why 1I/‘Oumuamua caused such a stir in the scientific 
community? How shall science respond to the "ufology”? What missions are 
about to be launched to learn more about these mysterious objects—such as the 
European Space Agency's Comet Interceptor probe, which will be launched in 
2029. The story of cosmic travelers is at once a scientific mystery, a 
thought-provoking challenge, and the beginning of a new era, in which we may 
expect the discovery of such objects on a regular basis. What lies in the 
future in this field?

Andor Kormányos
coordinator