‘Oumuamua, our first confirmed Extrasolar Object
On October 19th, 2017, a telescope at the University of Hawaii, called Pan-STARRS1 detected an object unlike any before observed in our Solar System. It was highly elongated (by a ratio of at least 10:1), completely inert (no dust floating around or behind), and composed of rock and possibly metal. Based on this makeup, and the fact that it was not observed to have any water or ice, the initial appearance was that of an asteroid. However, its trajectory and varying speed was more akin to a comet. Eventually it was determined that, in fact, the object Pan-STARRS1 was observing was not from our Solar System at all. It would come to be named ‘Oumuamua, meaning “A messenger from afar arriving first,” in Hawaiian. Prior to encountering our Star system, ‘Oumuamua was roaming the Milky Way, not in the orbit of any star for some time. We are still unsure of its precise origins – and it will be difficult to pin down, as ‘Oumuamua is not in orbit around our Sun, either — it was simply a visitor. With roughly one extrasolar object passing through the inner solar system every year, though, it is only a matter of time before we learn much more about these fascinating visitors.
Solar Expedition 
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