As NASA’s website says, ʻOumuamua is the first known interstellar object to visit our Solar System. It was discovered on October 19, 2017 when it was close to the sun, and is described as cigar-like shaped with a reddish hue. It is also tumbling end over end every seven hours or so. It has been classified as a comet, but it doesn’t have the signature tail that comets always have, which brings many, including scientists and astrophysicists to believe there is the possibility of it being something else, even extraterrestrial in nature.
‘Oumuaua is now too far away for our telescopes to see anymore but the intrigue and wonder as to what it could be, is just as strong. Is it just an asteroid or comet? Is it an artificial relic floating in to our solar system from interstellar space? Or, is it an extraterrestrial probe sent to explore us?
Join us on episode 108 to hear more!
Sources: solarsystem.nasa.gov, scientificamerican.com, newscientist.com, NYTimes.com, phys.org, newyorker.com