<p>The biggest contributor to these two observations happening so close to each other is capability and interest.</p>

<p>Our ability to observe such objects is ever increasing.
Once we saw one, our interest increased and we looked harder ie. lots more funding for the necessary observations to be made that would identify such objects.
We saw the next one soon after.</p>

<p>There is unlikely to be anything special here, just the politics of scientific funding. </p>

<p>It may be that these were two objects that coincidentally passed through the solar system at nearly the same time, but we are going to need to make many more observations of such events before making such a determination. </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-12-08T08:31:01.900Z
Whilst I agree there is more funding in this area, 21/Borisov was discovered by an amateur.
Dr Chuck
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-12-08T10:16:34.840Z
See https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2I/Borisov - he wasn't looking for inter stellar objects
Julian Moore
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-12-08T11:05:17.327Z
It is not just governments that increase funding. Amateurs may also increase their own self funding in response to a novel observational event.
And the probability of making a novel observation increases with the increase of observers that care capable of making and recognizing a particular observation regardless of them being long standing observers or brand new ones or even if they are looking for something else. Its a numbers game.
JohnRobyClayton
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-12-08T14:29:33.367Z
@JohnRobyClayton Has there been a substantial increase in the number of observers with capable equipment over the last 5 or so years?
Bob516
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-12-08T17:59:18.040Z
Astronomers are and always were always looking for comets.
ProfRob
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-12-12T16:33:44.073Z
@Bob516 Amateur astronomers represent a fair fraction of asteroid discoveries, because their telescopes have a larger field of view than "professional" tools (with the exception of telescopes purposely designed to survey a large fraction of the sky, usualy specifically for asteroid surveillance), and scientists rarely aim their equipments at "empty" space hoping to see something weird passing by (then again with the exception of purpose built tools).
And now amateur astronomers also have a good idea of what they might have found when confronted to such an object outside of standard deviation.
Cardshark
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-12-08T05:48:15.543Z
2019-12-08T05:48:15.543Z
JohnRobyClayton
<p>ʻOumuamua was discovered on October 19, 2017, and 2I/Borisov was discovered on August 30, 2019.  Has something changed about observation techniques or equipment that made it possible to find these objects in less than two years?</p>

<p>I find it hard to believe that there has been no interstellar objects passing through the inner solar system in the past ten or twenty years, then suddently these two did, quite close in time. </p>

<p>I recognize it is incredibly hard to find such small, dark objects moving so fast, especially if they are outside of the ecliptic, and there be many more passing through that just haven't been discovered. Should this be chalked up to pure luck?  </p>

<observational-astronomy><oumuamua>
Is there a reason two interstellar objects were found in the solar system in such a short period of time?
Bob516
# Is there a reason two interstellar objects were found in the solar system in such a short period of time?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-12-08)

ʻOumuamua was discovered on October 19, 2017, and 2I/Borisov was discovered on August 30, 2019. Has something changed about observation techniques or equipment that made it possible to find these objects in less than two years?

I find it hard to believe that there has been no interstellar objects passing through the inner solar system in the past ten or twenty years, then suddently these two did, quite close in time.

I recognize it is incredibly hard to find such small, dark objects moving so fast, especially if they are outside of the ecliptic, and there be many more passing through that just haven't been discovered. Should this be chalked up to pure luck?

**Tags:** observational-astronomy, oumuamua


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2019-12-08. Score: 3

The biggest contributor to these two observations happening so close to each other is capability and interest.

Our ability to observe such objects is ever increasing.
Once we saw one, our interest increased and we looked harder ie. lots more funding for the necessary observations to be made that would identify such objects.
We saw the next one soon after.

There is unlikely to be anything special here, just the politics of scientific funding.

It may be that these were two objects that coincidentally passed through the solar system at nearly the same time, but we are going to need to make many more observations of such events before making such a determination.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: Whilst I agree there is more funding in this area, 21/Borisov was discovered by an amateur.  
> **username_3**: See https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2I/Borisov - he wasn't looking for inter stellar objects  
> **username_1**: It is not just governments that increase funding. Amateurs may also increase their own self funding in response to a novel observational event. And the probability of making a novel observation increases with the increase of observers that care capable of making and recognizing a particular observation regardless of them being long standing observers or brand new ones or even if they are looking for something else. Its a numbers game.  
> **username_0**: @username_1 Has there been a substantial increase in the number of observers with capable equipment over the last 5 or so years?  
> **username_4**: Astronomers are and always were always looking for comets.  
> **username_5**: @username_0 Amateur astronomers represent a fair fraction of asteroid discoveries, because their telescopes have a larger field of view than "professional" tools (with the exception of telescopes purposely designed to survey a large fraction of the sky, usualy specifically for asteroid surveillance), and scientists rarely aim their equipments at "empty" space hoping to see something weird passing by (then again with the exception of purpose built tools). And now amateur astronomers also have a good idea of what they might have found when confronted to such an object outside of standard deviation.  

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