by Erika Southey
15 December 2017
OUMUAMUA, an interstellar object has caused quite a bit of speculation, a stir and captured the interest of many an Astrophile.
The worldwide web is rife with various reports of this oddly shaped object. Some even thought it to be an Unidentified Flying Object (UFO). Scientists are certain it’s not.
Oumuamua (Hawaiian term for scout) was discovered at the Haleakala Observation in Hawaii by Robert Weryk using Pan-STARRS 1.
This oddly shaped 400 meters long by about 40 meters wide object was classified as a hyperbolic asteroid.
It’s origin still puzzles the astronomy community. Some suggest that it came from a nearby star known as TYC4742-1027-1, whereas others think it came from the Kuiper Belt. The asteroid is moving at quite a speed that have astronomers scratch their heads even more to determine its origin.
Heading towards the Pegasus constellation; Oumuamua will be visible to us for a while longer, before disappearing.
It’s the first of its type that has entered our solar system.
Will there be similar occurrences? Is there an unexplored part of the cosmos with unusual ‘geology’ that we have not yet discovered?
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